A Royal Love
by william-catherine
Summary: Price William and Kate Middleton's journey after the wedding! This story is also up on my tumblr for Will and Kate!
1. Harry's Speech

William couldn't deny the fact that he had expected a large public turnout for his wedding. After seeing how publically popular his mother and father's wedding was, he was willing to accept the fact that his wedding would not be the private one he had always dreamed of, but one that was televised for the world to see. However, what he did not expect was just how many fans cramped the streets of England to see him and his soul mate, Kate Middleton, get married. Shockingly, it was a larger crowd than his mother and father's wedding – something William would never fully understand.

"Will?"

Realizing he was squeezing his new bride's hand fairly tight as he was in deep thought, William blinked and came back to reality. He looked across the seat at Kate and smiled.

"Sorry," he pressed his lips together and brought her knuckles up to his lips, kissing her delicate fingers.

"It's okay. What were you thinking about?"

William chewed on his bottom lip. "Just about how everything turned out today," his eyes met hers. "Everything  
>was perfect."<p>

Kate grinned. "It was, wasn't it? I'm still pinching myself." She turned her head and looked out the window of the limousine her and William were riding to their wedding reception. The faces and buildings were speeding past her at whirlwind speed. The speed of how the world was moving outside her window captured how she had felt at her wedding. The day was impeccable, but Kate felt as if she blinked and it was over. She did her best to take everything in, and hoped she would be able to do the same at their reception.  
>She felt William tugging on her hand he still held in his. She turned her head to meet his wide eyes.<p>

"I love you, you know that?"

Kate pressed a smile. "I do know that. What I don't know is if I can ever fully fathom how someone like you could ever love someone like me-"

"Hey," William's blue orbs turned serious. "Never doubt my love for you. What I find unbelievable is that you would ever fall in love with me."

Kate scoffed with a smile in her eyes. "Well, you weren't very hard to fall in love with."

"Oh?" William's tone brightened. "How so?"

Kate couldn't help the blood that quickly rushed to her cheeks. William smiled adoringly at her.

"Was it my undeniable charm, my hilarious personality, or my supermodel good looks?" He winked as Kate rolled her eyes.

"I think it was your immense modesty."

William chuckled. "I'm kidding you, don't worry."

Kate nodded. She watched his eyes, a grin tugging on her lips as she watched him watch hers back. Words were rarely needed between the couple. They could read each other like a book.

"So would you have preferred a smaller wedding?"

Kate raised an eyebrow at Will's question. She contemplated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I absolutely _loved_our wedding, it was spectacular. Better than any girl's dream wedding. But-"

"But?" William had a smile in his voice.

Kate chewed her bottom lip. "I just…I don't know. I keep wondering what it would have been like if it was just me and you. You know?"

William grinned crookedly and rubbed his new bride's hand. "I've been wondering that myself." He turned his head and looked out the window, disappearing into his thoughts once more.

"I wonder…" he trailed off as they pulled up to the reception hall. Kate looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright?"

William looked at her, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I was just imagining something." He inhaled loudly as the limousine came to a complete stop outside the reception hall. Tucking his thoughts in the back of his mind, he smiled at his wife and laced their fingers together. "Are you ready?"

Kate nodded. "I'm ready!"

* * *

><p>"So I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has showed up tonight!" Harry awkwardly climbed onto a table to give himself a stage as he began his best man speech. The amount of alcohol in his system made it a challenging task, but once he hoisted himself up, he stood with pride. His dress shirt was unbuttoned, a playful fez was sitting on top of his messy hair, and a bottle of champagne was clutched in his left hand. The party had started only thirty minutes ago, but for Harry, it had begun much earlier.<p>

"I know how far some of you have travelled to be here, so on behalf of Will and Kate, thank you." He looked to his brother and new sister-in-law who were sitting at a table with their immediate families. "Will and Kate are married. Wow. That's why we're all here, right? To celebrate the love between these two human beings. Well, we had a very nice, formal ceremony this morning. Do you all agree?"

The crowd of family and friends chattered in agreement.

"I thought it was a great ceremony." Harry looked directly at Kate. "Hey, sis! Wow, you looked beautiful today. I know our mother would be so very proud of you."

Kate grinned and looked at her hands shyly. Harry continued.

"Will, you looked alright I guess. I feel sorry for you Kate. You didn't marry the good looking brother." He pointed to himself with the hand that still held the champagne bottle. The crowd chuckled. "But in all seriousness, Will looked pretty hot in the thong he wore underneath his uniform today."

The crowd erupted into laughter as Will turned a bright shade of red. Kate chuckled along with the guests but made sure to kiss her husband's cheek comfortingly. Harry chortled into the microphone.

"Sorry, Will. Or should I say Big Willie? Right Kate?" Harry giggled as it was Kate's turn to turn red. "Oh but don't worry, Will also has a pet name for Kate. Babykins."

William buried his face into Kate's shoulder as the party doubled over in laughter.

"You said you would never tell!" William shouted from his table. Harry shrugged.

"I lied," he replied with a chortle. "Anyways, I'm here to talk about Will and Kate's relationship." He dug out a sheet of lined paper from the pocket of his dress pants and held it in the hand that also held the microphone. "You see, I knew that Will had a thing for Kate when he started being all romantic and such. You all know how new relationships are. Chatting on the phone until the wee hours, writing letters to each other, kissing all the time. Before Kate, Will didn't have a romantic bone in his body. He would have never been caught writing a letter to a girl, much less talking to her over the phone for hours. After he had fallen for Kate though," Harry caught Will's eye and winked. "He was suddenly into all the cliché things he had to do to catch her heart. It was quite adorable actually." He unraveled the paper that was in his hand and held it out in front of himself. "This is a letter Will wrote to me after his and Kate's first date. For Will's sake, I'll only read an excerpt from it." Harry looked at William and smiled. "'Dear Harry, I had the best time with Kate tonight. She really is a wonderful, beautiful, intriguing girl. Every time she smiles my heart beats a little faster. She doesn't treat me like anyone else here. She makes me feel special. I think I'm really falling for her.'"

Harry tucked the paper back into his pocket as the families and friends cooed at the letter. William and Kate simply smiled at each other. Words weren't necessary when the pure love in their eyes spoke volumes about how they felt for each other.

"So that's basically when I knew that Kate was the one for Will," Harry spoke, continuing his speech. "Of course, I was a tad bit worried. What would she think of Will's hereditary balding?" Harry smirked at Will. "I guess I can't really be talking since I'm a ginge." The joke caused a subtle laughter within the crowd. "But what I really loved about Kate was that she accepted William as he was. She didn't try to transform him, manipulate him, or do any of the things that about three quarters of the girls at St. Andrews tried to do. She was simply there for him, and that's a very respectable quality to possess." He looked to Kate, who was smiling as William whispered something in her ear. Harry grinned. "And then the world got the opportunity to watch their love blossom. As some of us know, it was the greatest test in Will and Kate's relationship. Could they withstand the constant nagging of the paparazzi? Could Kate handle being in headlines every week? Kate's one of the strongest women I know, and I knew that she could handle being in William's life, maybe even before _she_knew she could. And time and time again, she proved that she could live this lifestyle. I remember chatting with Kate before she met our father, and now I guess her new father-in-law." Harry chuckled as he reminisced. "She was so nervous, her hands were shaking. I can recall what she said to me. Do you remember, Kate?"

Kate bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"Yeah, I knew you would remember. She came up to me and very bluntly said 'Harry, I'm meeting your father in a few minutes and I _really_ have to pee. Is there a washroom anywhere?'" Everyone in the room chuckled as Kate and Charles smiled at each other. Harry continued. "What really amazed me was that Kate and I had only met briefly once before that, and yet she was so comfortable with confessing that she needed to pee. I think that was the beginning of Kate and I's friendship. After that, we became very close. William even had to sometimes ask me if _he_could see Kate once and a while because Kate and I were always together having great conversations." Harry paused and winked at Kate. "And then…" he trailed off, shaking his head at William in a mocking way. "Will broke up with Kate. Or, well, they broke up with each other. I guess it was somewhat mutual, right guys?"

William and Kate just looked at each other and chuckled.

"Well, mutual or not, they broke up. And lemme tell you, I was _devastated_." Harry mockingly choked up a little bit as the crowed buzzed with laughter. "Okay, in actuality, Will was pretty devastated, not me. I remember that about two months after him and Kate were broken up, he called me and ordered me to go see him instantly. I was quite worried so I rushed to meet him." Harry's seemingly permanent smile disappeared. "I searched the whole house until I found him sitting on his bed with pictures of him and Kate spread out around him. He looked up at me and his face had _such_ pain in it. I was very worried. I hadn't seen a look like that on his face since I accidentally kicked him in the nuts when we were younger. I knew something was seriously wrong." Harry inhaled loudly. "And all he did was look up at me and say, very softly, 'what have I done?'." The crowd was quiet as Harry paused again. "I kind of chuckled nervously and said '_You're _the one that broke up with her, fool'." Harry smiled sympathetically. "And William just looked at me like I wasn't there. He started mumbling about how he realized that he didn't want to, and simply couldn't, live without Kate. So I handed him the phone and told him to call her. He did, and she answered. Do you remember that phone call, Kate?"

Kate' lips curved up in a small smile as she nodded her head.

"William called her and basically begged for her to come back to him," Harry and the whole party couldn't help chuckling as William blushed. "And I think that Kate rejected him at first. I guess she wanted to play hard to get. She learned that from me." Harry winked at Kate. "But soon enough Will and Kate were back together, and the world was in balance again. When they first got back together, there was nothing you could possibly say to William that would make him frown. He was so ecstatic to have Kate back in his life that you could have told him that the world was ending in the next thirty second and he wouldn't have flinched. And when William was happy, I was happy. And let's be honest, it really only matters if _I'm_ happy, right?" Everyone laughed as Harry took a brief pause. "Thankfully I haven't seen that immense look of pain on Will's face ever since that day. And with Kate now in his life forever, I know I'll never see that pain again. You know why?" He grinned goofily at Will and Kate. "Because you two make each other better people. You two know everything about one another. You two laugh with each other, respect each other, honor each other, and most importantly,_ love_each other." He looked to Kate, who had a tear in her eye as William rubbed her hand and lovingly gazed at her. Harry beamed as he held up his champagne bottle. "So here's to Will and Kate, here's to everlasting love, and here's to the party that will surely be of the century! Cheers."

The crowd got to their feet while erupting into applause, woops, and cheers. Harry took a big swig of champagne before setting it down, holding up his arms, and leaping from the table onto the ground again. Will and Kate looked at each other, enormous smiles of pure, honest happiness on their faces. William placed his index finger underneath her chin and brought her lips to meet his in a gentle, sweet kiss. As they pulled away, William locked his eyes on Kate's, a burning emotion behind his blue orbs. He tilted his head down to her ear and whispered very simply the three words that had never been truer in their relationship than at that very moment.

"I love you."


	2. The Reception

Kate Middleton's life couldn't get much better than how it was going that moment. As she sat at the table with her family at her wedding reception she poked at her dinner and reflected on her life leading up to the wedding. A smile appeared her face as her mind landed on her fourteen year old self. She was a happy teenager, rarely going through phases of angst or rebellion. At the time she had a huge crush on William. All her friends didn't understand Kate's fascination with him and preferred to gush about the boys at their school. Kate was different though. She had told them that she loved how kind Will seemed just by looking at him. Her friends started calling her princess-in-waiting, not knowing how accurate their nickname for Kate would eventually turn out to be.

Kate's mind travelled farther back in time to when she was a young girl at Downe House boarding school. Her smile disappeared as she remembered how she had gotten severely bullied for four years. Those were some tough times for her, but if she only knew how amazing her life would turn out to be, maybe those bullies wouldn't have seemed as important.

A pair of firm hands squeezed her shoulders and snapped Kate out of her thoughts. She turned her torso to see William smiling down at her.

"You've barely touched your food," he pointed out. Kate shrugged.

"I will."

"Okay well I've got to go make my speech now…" William pressed his lips together in a coy smile. Kate raised her eyebrows.

"You're not making a speech?"

Will grinned. "Oh yes I am," He abruptly turned on his heel and made his way to the microphone. Kate sat in her chair and shook her head at him with a large grin on her face. He tapped the microphone and cleared his throat.

"Hello everyone." No one looked up from their dinners. William tapped the microphone again. "Is this thing on? Testing testing one two three," The last word screeched as the mic successfully turned on and William caught the guests' attention. "Sorry about that," he chuckled nervously as the guests watched him with wide eyes.

"Anyways, I've prepared a speech for you all," his eye caught Kate's attentive ones before they moved to his father and his brother who both had their eyebrows raised. "No one really knew I was going to make a speech so if you're wondering why my father and brother look completely out of the loop, it's because they are."

Everyone laughed as William cleared his throat once more before starting his speech. "So, this woman over there, she means the world to me." Will gestured towards Kate, noticing a blush rising up her cheeks. "I don't know who I would be, what I would be, or how I would be going on without her. I want to take this time to say thank you to her." Will stared only at Kate, speaking directly to her. "Kate, my absolutely beautiful, wonderful wife. Thank you for being there for me, thank you for understanding me, and thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for helping me with all my art history troubles. Thank you for coming to my polo matches even though you're allergic to horses." Kate smiled as Will chuckled before continuing. "Thank you for forgiving me after all the times I've screwed up. Thank you for dealing with my problems. Thank you for giving up your life as a normal citizen to come into my unusual lifestyle. Thank you for teaching me some smoother dance moves. Thank you for making me a better person. Thank you for teaching me guitar, even though I'm still not very good. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for making all my days better." William cleared his throat for a third time as he felt his eyes gloss over. "Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being my soul mate and the absolute love of my life. There is no one in the world I would rather share my life with than you. I'm so happy I met you, and I'm so happy we're together. I love you, Kate, and I know I always will."

The crowd was silent aside from most of the women who were sniffling and wiping their eyes from the tears that had formed throughout his speech. Kate bit her bottom lip, attempting to hold in the emotion that would inevitably come out eventually that night. The couple's eyes stayed locked in a loving gaze from across the room, and for that brief moment, they were the only two people in the world. She mouthed back "I love you too" before William continued.

"I'd also like to give a big thank you to everyone who came tonight. You guys are our dearest friends and closest families, so on behalf of Kate, thank you very much." William clasped his hands together and took a deep breath. "I know that my mother has been on everyone's minds earlier today and tonight. I'd just like to say that I know she would have absolutely loved Kate." Will looked to Kate. "I wish you had met her. I often wonder what your relationship with her would have been like." He pursed his lips and stared at the ground. "But I know she's looking down on us right now, happier than ever," He looked up again. "So I guess we can all be grateful for that."

Will's eyes scanned the room full of the people he loved the most in the world. There was still one person missing though. One person who could never be replaced, no matter how hard anyone tried. He knew that his mother was meant to be at his wedding. And when she was violently ripped away from him at fifteen, he knew his life would never be the same. Will's eyes landed on Kate and the automatic smile that adorned his lips was sweet and genuine. Thoughts of his mother and thoughts of his future with Kate flooded his mind. Maybe he could never have the love his mother gave him back in his life ever again, but he could have Kate's love, which was just as unshakable and undeniable.

"So I want to take you all back to September 4th, 2000. Or as I like to remember it, the day I first laid my eyes on Kate." Will and Kate grinned at each other, fond memories from their past coming back to them. "We were both in the dining hall when she caught my eye. She was wearing a white cashmere sweater and was laughing with her friend, Whitney. It wasn't one certain thing that made me instantly attracted to Kate, it was more her whole presence. She completely lit up the room. It was quite a challenge not to stare, actually. And as I got to know Kate more, I realized more things about her. Not only did she stand out in a crowd, she was the life of the party, she was poised but had a wacky side," Will winked at Kate. "And I just knew. I knew that she had to be mine. Somehow. Now, Kate had a boyfriend at the time, but that didn't stop me from trying to make my move after the charity fashion show later that year." William smiled, blushing a little as he continued with his story. "And of course she rejected me. As she should have; she was being a faithful girlfriend. But after our fashion show incident, it didn't take long for her to fall for me. Kate and I were having a giggle about this on the car ride over here. We were trying to pinpoint the exact qualities about myself that made Kate want me. I said it was my undeniable charm, my hilarious personality, and my supermodel good looks." Will listed them off on his fingers. "Kate said it was my immense modesty." The crowed chuckled as William watched Kate and Harry exchange a giggle. "It wasn't long after we started dating that I fell in complete and hopeless love with Kate," Will carried on his speech. "There aren't many ways to describe how it feels to be in love with another person, mostly because there really are no words." William eyed Kate. "You know, when you meet someone who makes you a better person. Kate makes me want to strive to be a better man. She brings out the best in me. She makes me feel loved. Harry was completely right in his speech when he said I didn't have a romantic bone in my body before I met Kate. But after ten years of being together, I can admit in front of friends and family that she has brought out the true romantic inside of me." The guests chortled and some even hooted and hollered at William. "And that's what I think love is really about. I've met someone who I love and who – by some miracle – loves me back. Our relationship is stronger than ever, and I have no doubt that it will only continue to grow." Will's eyes landed on Kate again. "Kate, I've said it once, and I'll say it forever. _I love you_." Will beamed as he noticed a tear escape Kate's eye. "Thank you. You can all go back to your dinners now."

The claps from the guests were distant to Will as he hastily placed the microphone back on its stand and quickly walked over to Kate, who was already standing up with her arms open. He wrapped his arms around her as he felt her face bury into his shoulder. Just feeling her body pressed against his gave him chills. He was well aware that the whole room had their eyes on them, but he just couldn't seem to care. He pulled his head back and kissed her temple gently before resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I love you so much," he heard Kate mumble into his shoulder. William chuckled softly.

"I love you too, my dear. How about we go back to our dinner now?" He brought his face down to meet hers. They gazed at each other for a few seconds, never being more in love with each other than at that moment.

Kate pouted. "Okay," She let her arms that were around his torso drop to her sides. Will giggled, kissing her  
>forehead.<p>

"We'll have lots of time to be together tonight," he whispered knowingly in her ear. Kate bit a smile and nodded.

"Tonight."

* * *

><p>"So at this time, I'd like to call out Will and Kate to the dance floor for their first dance!" Harry, being a proper MC, got the guests pumped for the upcoming dance portion of the night.<br>Will and Kate walked hand in hand onto the dance floor, a hint of a blush in Will's cheeks. They shared a look as Ellie Goulding started her version of Elton John's song, "Your Song". Will placed one of his hands on Kate's lower back and used the other hand to hold hers. They swayed around the floor as they enjoyed the music and enjoyed each other's company. Halfway through the song, Kate rested her head on Will's chest. William looked to Harry and the two brothers exchanged a look of happiness. Will kissed the top of her head and gestured for his father and Camilla to join in on the dance with them. And soon, all the couples in the room were on the floor, consumed with each other. Kate lifted her head from Will's chest by the end of the song and kissed his lips quickly.

"Is that all I get?" Will joked, inching his face closer towards hers before capturing her lips in a longer, more passionate kiss. When they broke off, both their breathing was a little heavier.

"Much better," Kate said. Will nodded in agreement as he let go of Kate.

"One minute," he whispered, walking over to the DJ. He and the DJ exchanged a few words before Will walked back over to Kate, muttering six words. "You're the one that I want."

Kate broke out in a grin and clapped her hands in excitement. Will watched her.

"You want to do it?"

"Yes!" Kate replied. Will nodded and walked towards the microphone. He picked it up and spoke into it.

"Hi everyone. Kate and I would like all the people on the dance floor to please move off it for a few minutes." Will waited for everyone but Kate to evacuate the dance floor. "Thank you." He walked back over to Kate and grabbed her hand before he pointed at the DJ. The guests were confused as Will and Kate bowed their heads.  
>And suddenly, "You're the One That I Want" from Grease blasted through the speakers and the guests shifted from confusion to amusement. Will and Kate started dancing crazily, mouthing the words to each other, and pointing to one another when the chorus came up. By the middle of the song, Will and Kate's infectious nature caught on and the whole crowd was dancing wildly along. Harry and Pippa twisted and twirled together, Kate's parents boogied, even Charles and Camilla got into the song. Will and Kate danced closely in the middle of it all, a true feeling of joy passing through both of them.<p>

"So this is what it's all about."

Kate raised her eyebrow at Will's question. "What do you mean?" She had to shout over the blaring music. Will took her hand, led her through the dance floor, out the reception room, and into the hallway. They sat down on a bench just outside the doors.

"What I mean is that this is what life is about," Will laced their fingers together. "What love is about. What being happy is about. Our wedding has made me realize many things about myself and about life that I had never realized before." He furrowed his brow and sat in deep thought. Kate rubbed his hand.

"Are you okay?"

Will looked deeply into Kate's eyes before responding. A feeling of warmth and love passed through his body as he smiled. "Of course I am. I've never been better."

Kate mirrored his smile and nodded. "Neither have I. And I understand what you mean about what this is all about," she let go of his hand and stood up. "Life is about letting loose and having fun with the ones you love most in the world," she held out her hand. "Which is what we're doing right now. So let's go back in there and continue having a great time."

William stood up and took his wife's hand. As she went to open the door, Will tugged her back and pulled her into his embrace. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her lovingly. The kiss started out sweet but quickly built into a passionate exchange. When the couple parted, their breathing was heavy. Will placed his hands on both sides of Kate's face and kissed her nose.

"I love you, my darling ordinary princess," he whispered as his lips brushed against her nose, ticking her face. Kate giggled.

"I love you too," she closed her eyes as Will continued tickling her face. "Will!"

William persisted, moving his lips to her cheek, her forehead, her other cheek, even her chin. He kissed every part of her face, sending Kate into a fit of giggles.

"Do you like that?" Will asked against her face, laughing along with her as he kissed above her left eye.  
>Kate shook her head as she grinned.<p>

"Liar," Will replied, kissing along her jaw bone. Kate's chest erupted with laughter.

"Will! Will, come on, we've got a party to get back to. We're the hosts for goodness sake!"

Will shook his head. "Party? What? I thought it was just me and you…" he kissed her earlobe, nibbling at it softly. Kate sighed.

"We'll have lots of time to be together tonight," she said Will's earlier words in her best impression of his voice.

Will looked down at her and laughed out loud as she winked at him. He replied in his best impression of Kate's voice.

"Tonight."


	3. Surprises

"Are you going to tell me today?"

Will squeezed his eyes while they were shut before he opened them to meet Kate's brown orbs. He smiled sleepily as he watched Kate's eyes dance with excitement.

"No, no I'm not," he replied groggily. Kate pouted.

"Pleeeease?"

"Not until we get on the plane."

Kate exhaled with an audible puff, rolling over so her back was to her husband.

"Are you ignoring me?" Will chuckled, tapping her shoulder. Kate didn't move. "Oh come on Kate. I want it to be a surprise for you."

Kate turned back over. "Okay. What day is it today?"

"Wednesday."

"And what day do we go on our honeymoon again?"

"Sunday."

Kate broke out in a smile. "I guess I can wait."

Will's smiled mirrored hers. "Yes, you can," he checked the clock on the bedside table. "Ugh, I've got work in half an hour." He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Kate sat up as well and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'll go make you some eggs; you can just get your things ready for the day."

Will twisted his neck so their foreheads were touching. "Alright. Thank you," he kissed her cheek before stepping out of bed. "I'm actually looking forward to work today more than usual," he said as he pulled on a pair of jeans.

"Oh?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, Commander Joseph said he needed to talk with me, so I'm looking forward to seeing what  
>he has to say."<p>

Kate smiled pleasantly. "I'm sure it's to compliment you on how well you've been doing," she stepped out the door. "Eggs will be ready in ten minutes!" 

* * *

><p>Will would never be caught complaining about his job. He was getting paid for doing what he loved most: flying airplanes and helping people. So he was caught a little off guard when Commander Joseph asked him a series of unnerving questions about why he chose his job as a search and rescue pilot.<p>

"Now, William, why did you choose this job?"

"Because I enjoy flying."

Joseph nodded slowly. "Okay, and why else?"

"Because I love to help people."

"Mhmm," Joseph hummed. "Do you have any regrets about this job?"

Will shrugged. "No."

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Yes, I do."

Joseph frowned. "Okay, I'm going to make this short. I'm sorry for what I'm about to tell you, but you're one of our most talented search and rescue pilots, and you're the only person fit for this job."  
>Will furrowed his brow. "Thank you…"<p>

Joseph scratched the top of his head and spoke somewhat bashfully and somewhat regretfully; as if he didn't want to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "Will, here's the thing. We have to deploy you  
>to Afghanistan."<p>

Will widened his eyes. "Wh-what? Why?"

"Because there are a frightening amount of British troops missing and we think they are being held captive somewhere. You're an excellent search and rescue pilot and we need you to go over and try to find them."

Will was suddenly alarmed. "Do you think they're getting tortured...or worse?

Joseph shrugged helplessly. "We don't know. That's why we need you."

Will bit his bottom lip as his mind flashed to Kate. His heart sank as he replied. "I understand. Of course I'll go."  
>Joseph smiled. "Thank you, William. You show great bravery and tremendous courage. You're very intelligent and I know you'll get the job done."<p>

Will didn't smile. His mind was in overdrive as he thought about all the people he would have to tell. He was certain his father and grandparents would not be happy, and he was certain Harry would beg to go with him. He was also sure the rest of his family would be extremely worried, as they were when Harry went over. The only person's reaction he wasn't certain on was Kate's.

"We have to deploy you on Sunday. So since its Wednesday, you have four days to prepare yourself," Joseph said, digging through some papers in a folder. Will froze. Sunday. Sunday was the day him and Kate were supposed to go on their honeymoon.

"Oh, no."

Joseph looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

Will nodded robotically. "Am I allowed to leave?"

"Yes, take the rest of the day off and be with your family."

"Okay."

Will stood up from the chair, his legs shaking as he walked to his car. He sat silently, his world stopping for a few brief moments as reality struck him. He was going to war. Maybe he wouldn't be on the front lines, but he would still be in danger. He swallowed a large lump in his throat as he thought about Kate. Their wedding had only been a month ago, and now they wouldn't even go on a honeymoon. At least not in the immediate future.

"Oh God," Will breathed again, leaning his head against his steering wheel. His mind shifted to the missing soldiers in Afghanistan. They needed his help. This was no time for Will to be a selfish man. He had a duty to fill, and he was going to sustain his duty, no matter what the price.

* * *

><p>"Oh please take me with you, Will! Please, please, please."<p>

Will threw his head back as Harry kept whining.

"Come on, Will, you know how long I've tried to get back onto the front lines. Now's my chance!"

Will looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't even be on the front lines. You'd be stuck in an airplane with me for God knows how long, fearing the threat of bombs and gunshots from enemy airplanes."

Harry shrugged. "Even better! " Will rolled his eyes. "Come on Will, please?"

"No!" Will exclaimed, a hint of anger in his serious tone. "I'm not going to put your life at risk, okay? Dad wouldn't be able to function with_ both_his boys at war. He was already a nervous wreck when just you were there."

Harry sighed and closed his eyes. "I know, Will. But I just-"

"No, Harry. You're not coming. End of discussion."

Harry didn't respond. He walked over to his bed and lay down on it, placing his arms underneath his head.

"Are you scared?" he asked softly. Will walked over and sat beside him.

"Yeah," he admitted, a wave of nervousness passing through him. "Were you when you went?"

Harry shrugged, unphased as usual. "Not really. I knew that if I died, it was because I was fighting for our country." He tilted his head. "And I accepted that. I wouldn't have died a selfish death," He sat up so he could look at Will. "If something ever happens to you, you have to know that it was out of bravery and patriotism towards our country."

Will stayed quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "Don't you think that going to war is a little selfish, though? In some twisted way."

"What do you mean?"

Will grunted. "I don't know, I guess I feel bad that everyone's going to worry over me."

"Will, you're being irrational," Harry replied. "Think of all the soldiers that need your help. Going to war is the most unselfish thing a person can do."

"Yeah," Will stood up and headed towards the door. "Well, I've got to make my rounds to the other family members and tell them the news. I'll stop by again tomorrow."

Harry's lips curved in a sympathetic smile. "Okay," He bit his lip as Will grabbed his jacket and opened the door.

"Hey Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you told Kate yet?"

Will inhaled loudly and looked at his hands. "No, and I don't intend to tell her until tonight."

Harry nodded, his eyebrows crinkling at the thought of his sister-in-law being in pain because of William's future absence.

"Let her down easy," he said.

Will nodded. "There's really no other way."

* * *

><p>Kate had peeled the carrots, washed the lettuce, and chopped the peas. The wine was chilled, the chicken was cooked, and the plates were prepared. The only thing missing was her husband, who should have been home an hour ago. She sighed, toying with her phone, contemplating whether to call him or not. She knew there was a great possibility that he could be working late, but then again, he would have let her known if he was working late...<p>

The phone rang in her hand, the ring shrill and demanding. Kate pressed the talk button and pressed the speaker up to her ear.

"Hello?"  
><em><br>"Hey Kate, it's me."  
><em>  
>Kate sighed as Will spoke to her on the other end. "Hey, I was just going to call you. Where are you?"<br>_  
>"I'm just going to see my father."<em>

Kate frowned at the tone of William's voice. "Are you okay?"  
><em><br>"Yeah, I'm fine. I've got to go, I'll be home soon. I love you." _

Kate's brow furrowed. "Okay, I love-" the dial tone cut her off mid-sentence. "-you too."

The vagueness of William's explanation baffled her; if Will was anything it was thorough. Kate knew something was wrong, and that thought alone would be nagging in the back of her mind until she got a full explanation.

In a lifetime, a person goes through a select amount of defining moments. The regular motions come and go robotically, but it's the defining moments that stick around, shaping one's life. The impact can be good, and the impact can be bad. It's how the person chooses to deal with the good or bad impact that uncovers their true identity.

William had to choose how he was going to deal with the life-defining event that he was going to inevitably face in the near future. Not just anybody went to war; it took a special soul to risk their life for the well being of others.

"William, William, William," his father shook his head. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

Will's heart sank. "Yeah, I do. I want to help these people, dad. What if I was one of those lost soldiers?"

Charles shook his head. "That would never happen because I would never let you become a soldier."

Will rolled his eyes. "Dad, I've got to do this. I _want_to do this."

Charles buried his face in his hands. "Have you told your grandmother yet?"

"No. I've been avoiding it," Will sighed. "Just like I've been avoiding telling Kate."

Charles looked up at his son. "You haven't told Kate?"

Will shook his head.

"Well, you should do that first."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Charles smiled grimly. "If there's one thing I know about women it's that they very strongly dislike being the last to know."

Will chuckled softly. "Alright, well I should probably do that now," He stood up and hugged his father. "I promise I'll be fine, dad."

Charles pulled back from the hug and looked Will directly in the eye. "A promise can only go so far sometimes."

* * *

><p>Will stepped through the door to his and Kate's home, the shaking feeling he felt after he left Joseph's office returning to his legs. He closed the door quietly and checked his watch. Seven o'clock. He should have been home two hours earlier. He didn't hear any stirring or any clues that Kate was in the house, which was a contrast to the usual kiss –hello Kate greeted him with every day. Raising an eyebrow, Will walked through the living room, where the TV was off, into the kitchen. There sat two dinner plates of chicken and vegetables and chilled wine. Kate was nowhere in sight.<p>

"Kate?"

Will climbed the stairs and walked into their bedroom. The bed was made and the TV was on. Weird.

"Kate?"

He walked over to their bathroom and tried to open the door. It was locked. Even weirder. He knocked on the door.

"Kate? Are you in there?"

Will pressed his ear up against the door and listened as he heard shuffling coming from inside. The lock unlocked and the door opened slowly, Kate's tear-stained face revealing itself.

"Oh my God, Kate," Will opened the door fully and quickly wrapped his arms around his wife's body. He felt her body shake slightly as her weeps came softly. He squeezed her tighter. "What's wrong, Kate?"  
>Kate pulled back and looked at William, a smile curving up her lips. She wiped away the tears that still flowed and spoke in a whisper. "Nothing is wrong. Come here," She took hold of his hand and led him through the bathroom to a little device that was shaped like a pregnancy test. Will's eyes widened.<p>

"Wait…" he pointed at the device before picking it up. He read it once. Then twice. Then a third time, and even a fourth just in case he was wrong the first three times. "Is this what I think it is?" he wheezed slightly. "It- it's positive." Will suddenly forgot how to breathe.

"Yeah!" Kate chuckled happily. "_We're pregnant!_" She gauged Will's reaction and was slightly shocked when he wasn't immediately excited. "Will, we're pregnant!"

"Oh…oh," he slid to the ground, his face suddenly feeling hot and prickly. Kate sat on the floor beside him and rubbed his hand.

"I know it wasn't really planned and everything. And I'm sorry for that. I was just as shocked as you are. I've been a little suspicious this whole week because I had missed my period on Monday and I _never _miss my period," Kate took the test from Will's grasp and stared at it happily. "I was curious so I asked one of our bodyguards to pick me up a pregnancy test," Kate grinned. "And it was positive! Of course I'm going to get an actual test at the doctor because you can never really trust these at-home things, but considering I missed my period and the test came out positive, I truly think I'm pregnant!" Kate let out a little squeal. "Now I know this is going to change our honeymoon a little bit, but I wasn't really planning on drinking a lot anyways because I want to remember our honeymoon and have a good time without drinking-"

"Kate," Will choked out, his throat tightening. He didn't look at her as he spoke. "I have to tell you something."  
>Kate crinkled her eyebrows and looked at her husband with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out. Let me go get you some water."<p>

"No," Will tugged on Kate's hand as she started to get up. She sat back down on the ground with him and became nervous.

"Will, what's going on?"

Tears formed in Will's eyes. He couldn't bear to say it, not with this news that Kate had just delivered to him. A feeling of shame crossed him as he managed to mumble the few words to her.

"I'm getting deployed to Afghanistan. I have to leave this Sunday."

Will buried his face in his hands, a feeling of complete, desperate sadness washing through him. He heard Kate intake a short breath, but never heard an exhale. After a few moments of silence, Will looked up. Kate's face that was just full of ecstatic excitement was replaced with despair and immense fear. Tears poured down her cheeks as she looked at William through helpless eyes. His heart completely broke as he stared at his distressed wife. He couldn't bear to say anything else. All he did was wrap his hands around her waist and shift so she was in his lap and his arms. He kissed the back of her neck and the side of her cheek. No words were exchanged. The once seemingly perfect future for Kate had gotten ripped away from her almost as quickly as it had come. The couple sat in silence; fear for each other and fear for the future bearing too large of a weight for anything other than tears and soft whimpers.

Will tightened his grasp around Kate and desperately hoped that if he could just hold onto her tight enough and wish hard enough, everything would disappear.


	4. Distance

**I attempted at incorporating some Harry/Pippa into this chapter. I kinda failed though LOL. Hope you guys like this chapter anyways! **

Will blinked and looked at the clock for the third time. 4:34 am. He sighed frustratedly, his mind calculating the amount of time he had been unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep.

"Five stupid hours," he mumbled under his breath. He shivered and looked around the empty room at the Britain headquarters in Afghanistan. He felt cold, dark and alone. The first few weeks of war were difficult, but Will had had hope that things would get better. As time moved on though, things didn't get easier. The food never tasted better, the bed never got warmer, and the loneliness never cured. During the daytime it was just Will alone in an aircraft, and during the nighttime it was Will and a few other aircraft commanders, wishing they were anywhere else. The danger level was high and with each day Will became less confidant that they would find the captured soldiers.

"Ugh," Will moaned and rolled out of bed, his bare feet shivering as they touched the freezing concrete floor. He walked to the door that connected his room to one of the aircraft commanders, Rob, and peeped in.

"Rob?" he whispered, hoping Rob would also be suffering from insomnia so he wouldn't feel so abandoned.  
>"Rob?"<p>

He heard a faint grumble. "Yeah, Will?"

Will blushed, though it was too dark for Rob to take notice. "Sorry. Are you awake?"

"Yeah," Rob replied, his voice fretful. "I haven't been able to sleep for almost two days now."

Will walked into the room as Rob turned on the lamp on his bedside table. He pulled a wooden chair up to Rob's bed.

"Me neither," Will said. "You would think after a month and a half of being here I would get used to the time change," he chuckled remorsefully.

Rob nodded his head, breaking a soft smile. "If only this insomnia was because of time change…" he sighed longingly. "I could at least be able to manage that. What I can't manage is all these daunting thoughts in my head."

"I know," Will swallowed a lump in his throat. "If I'm not thinking about my next position for the upcoming day, my mind is fretting over Kate," he bit his lip and fumbled with his hands. "I miss her so much."

Rob didn't say anything. The two men sat in silence as their minds traveled back to England, where they were immediately with their families through mind power. Will reached into the pocket of his pajama pants and pulled out the most recent picture Kate had sent him. It was a week ago when he had received it, and he hadn't left it out of his sight since. The picture showcased Kate smiling, holding the picture of her first ultrasound. There wasn't much to see in the ultrasound since she was only six weeks pregnant, but to William the picture was his whole world.

"Is that Kate?" Rob asked, pointing at Will's picture. Will nodded and sighed, handing Rob the picture.

"She's pregnant," Will said. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about Kate's pregnancy, but Will couldn't tell if it was the sleep deprivation that made him not care at that moment, or if it was the loneliness he felt.

"That's great," Rob smiled as he handed Will back the picture. "When did you find out?"

"Four days before I had to deploy," Will frowned and tucked the picture back in his pocket.

"Really? Wow that…sucks."

"Yeah, it really does." Will closed his eyes and consumed himself in his own thoughts, his mind travelling back to his painful goodbye with Kate and Harry at the airport.

* * *

><p><em><br>"Take care of her for me, Harry," Will said to his brother._

_Harry nodded solemnly. The smile that seemed to constantly adorn his lips hadn't been present the whole day. "I will."_

_Will stared at his brother for a few extra moments. "I'm going to miss you, Harry. Try not to have too much fun without me."_

_Harry managed to chuckle. "I wouldn't dare. I'm going to miss you too, big brother."_

_Will opened his arms. "Okay, come here," he pulled Harry into a brotherly hug. "I love you man."_

_"I love you too. Be careful out there."_

_Will nodded as he pulled back. "I will be, don't worry," he clicked his hands together, a nervous habit of his ever since he was a child. "I should go find Kate now."_

_Harry chewed his bottom lip as he watched Will wander into the tiny building beside the airplane. Will had informed him of Kate's pregnancy the previous night, and now Harry was certain that if their goodbye wasn't going to be hard before, it would for sure be distressing now._

_"Hey, I have to leave now," Will said softly as he entered the building. Kate was sitting on the only chair at the only desk in the small space. She had been emotional the whole day leading up to this moment. Her hands clutched her stomach as she unsuccessfully tried to hold back her tears._

_Will's heart ached as he watched Kate stand up and walk directly into his arms. He held her tightly and rocked her back and forth in attempts to keep both of them calm. It didn't work out very well._

_"I love you so much," Will whispered coarsely in her ear. He patted her curly dark brown hair and kissed the top of her head. "I can't imagine how much I am going to miss you. I already do," He swallowed the threatening lump in his throat and blinked back tears. Kate was sniffling quietly into his chest. "I already love and miss our child as well," Will moved one of his hands down to her stomach. It hadn't started swelling yet, but each time he realized a life that him and Kate had created was living and growing there, chills ran up and down his spine. "Remind him or her of me every day, okay? Kate?"_

_Kate looked up at her husband through bloodshot eyes. She didn't answer, but she didn't have to. She just stared into William's eyes, losing herself in their blue depths. She didn't try to control the amount of tears that trickled down her cheeks, she just let them go. William couldn't stand holding back his tears anymore either. Seeing Kate in such a state made his guard drop completely._

_"I promise I'll write you letters and call you as much as I can," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. Silence returned to the small room as the couple really focused on just being with each other. Will breathed in Kate's familiar scent and Kate made sure to memorize what it felt like to be in Will's arms. He had held her a million times before, but never had he held her in such a way that he did at that moment. It was a desperate kind of grasp he had on her, like he wouldn't let her go_  
><em>unless he was physically forced away from her.<em>

_"Remember when I had to go away to RAF training?" Will asked, breaking the silence._

_"Yeah," Kate's voice was a hoarse whisper._

_"And I thought I would be gone for a month, but it really only took me two weeks? Maybe this will be like that. Maybe we'll find where the soldiers are being held captive within the first week and then I'll be able to come home and be with you and our baby."_

_Will's blind optimism only made Kate's heart break more. She shook her head and buried her face into his chest. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you," she_  
><em>mumbled.<em>

_Will rubbed her back soothingly. "You have a great family to keep you safe and happy."_

_Kate exhaled loudly. "I don't know about happy… but yes, I do have a great family, and not just on my side," she looked up at Will, "I'll definitely be leaning on your side of the family for support just as much as I'll be depending on my side of family."_

_Will smiled, though he didn't really feel happy. "Good," He looked out the window and noticed the pilot climb into the plane. His throat constricted as he spoke. "Okay, I've got to go."_

_Kate nodded as their lips met in a passionate, wretched kiss. She moved her arms so they were wrapped around his neck and Will tangled his fingers in Kate's hair. It wasn't until both of them were desperate for air that they broke apart, only to kiss deeply again. They knew it would be their last one, and they were determined to make it count. When they broke off again Will just moved his lips to her cheeks, forehead, and nose, kissing each part tenderly and lovingly. He even bent down and lifted Kate's shirt so he could kiss her stomach and talk to their baby._

_"Hey there, little baby. It's daddy," Will said, the tears returning to his eyes. "I know you're really small and have no idea who I am, but I want you to know how much I love you. You and your mother are my entire world, and if I ever lost either of you, I…I don't know what I would do. So I need you to stay safe and healthy and I need you to keep an eye on your mother as well," Will pursed his lips as a tear rolled down his cheek, "because I won't be able to right now. I know that you're going to have to make her feel sick, but please take it easy on her. I know you will though because you love your mother just as much as I do, and would never do anything to hurt her. So this is me saying good bye for now, but I will be back. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but when I do come home I'll make sure to talk with you, okay? Daddy loves you."_

_Will stood back up and frowned as Kate cried. He pulled her into another tight hug and whispered sweet words into her ear to calm her down a little bit. As he pulled away he looked out the window once more. Without any exchange of words, he laced their fingers together and pulled Kate out the door of the building out to the airplane. Kate sniffled and wiped the tears away from her eyes._

_"I'm sorry I'm being so emotional," she said as they stopped in front of the plane. "Between you leaving and the baby I'm just…I'm just a mess."_

_Will placed his index finger underneath her chin while his other hand caressed the side of her face. "You're not a mess. I'm a mess, I'm just good at hiding it," he stared into her eyes. "I have to leave now, okay? Do you know how much I love you?"_

_Kate nodded._

_"Well then I can leave in peace," Will said, angling his head so their lips could meet in one last kiss. It was more sweet than their previous passionate one._

_"Okay, here I go," Will detached himself from Kate, their hands still joined as he started to walk away. One by one his fingers slipped from hers until they finally lost complete contact. Kate was crying again as Will climbed the stairs into the plane. He turned around; his eyes filled to the brim with tears, and blew her a kiss. He also waved to Harry who had come up behind his sister-in-law and pulled her into a large bear hug._

_"Will?"_

_Kate's small voice caught Will's ear just before the door closed. He turned back around and smiled softly._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Promise you'll come back to me safely?"_

_Will furrowed his brow and nodded solemnly. "I promise."_

_And then he was gone._

"I just, I want to go home and be with her," Will brought himself back from his thoughts and rubbed his chin. "You know? Rob?"

Rob was fast asleep, snoring peacefully. Will chuckled and turned the light on the bedside table off. He padded back to his room, grasped the picture of Kate and their baby, and eventually fell into an uneasy slumber. He dreamed the same dream he did every night: to be at home with his wife and their new baby, living every day, loving every moment.

* * *

><p>"Pippa, Kate!" Harry walked through the door, a large jug of ice cream and spoons in his hands. Kate squealed and leapt off her bed, grabbing the jug and a spoon.<p>

"These cravings will be the death of me," Kate ripped the lid off and dug the spoon into the cold cookies and cream flavored ice cream. She let the taste savor on her tongue before she dipped the utensil back in and licked another spoonful.

"Whoa, take a breath Kate," Pippa chuckled as she took her own spoonful. "Mmm, this is good."

"How's the royal baby today?" Harry asked as he sat down on the bed beside Kate. Kate rubbed her stomach and gave thumbs up as she swallowed more ice cream.

"The royal baby is great," she giggled at the nickname Harry had dubbed.

"Have you talked to Will today?"

Kate frowned slightly. "Not today. He doesn't have access to a phone for another three days. I'm going to write to him tonight though."

Harry nodded as he stuck his own spoon in the ice cream. "Well hopefully he'll be home soon."

Kate shrugged dejectedly. "I sure hope so. Okay, I'm going to the washroom. Don't eat all that ice cream before I get back! Harry, I'm talking to you."  
>Harry chortled as him and Pippa continued to dig through the delicious ice cream. Harry knocked his spoon with hers, sparking a playful rivalry.<p>

"Hey now," Pippa giggled, smacking Harry's spoon. "I want my ice cream."

"I _need_my ice cream," Harry declared goofily, taking a large scoop off of Pippa's spoon and sticking it in his mouth. "Hey, do you think Kate is okay without Will?"

"Mmmmm," Pippa hummed. "I think it gets harder for her every day. If she wasn't pregnant she wouldn't be as upset. Of course she would still be worried sick, but she needs Will now more than ever. I'm sure he's just as torn up over in Afghanistan."

Harry nodded in agreement. "He is. Whenever I talk to him on the phone the first person he asks about is Kate. Actually, the only person he asks about is Kate," Harry chuckled.

"Yeah…" Pippa trailed off. "Kate's gotten really good at hiding how much she needs Will. I think the only people who truly know how much they miss each other are Will and Kate."

"Yeah, you're right. If I was deployed and I had a new wife, newly pregnant, I would go crazy."

Pippa smiled sympathetically, her eyes meeting Harry's. "Would you miss me?" She winked, lightening the mood. Harry blushed and moved his eyes back to the ice cream.

"Of course I would," he stabbed at a cookie with his spoon before he looked up at Pippa. "Hey, I was wondering… would you like to-"

"Okay, that's the fourth time I've peed this hour," Kate giggled as she walked back into the room and fell on the bed. Harry bit his lip and suddenly became embarrassed, avoiding eye contact with Pippa.

"Man, I'm so tired," Kate yawned and closed her eyes. Pippa rolled off the bed, the jug of ice cream in her hand.

"We'll get out of your hair and let you sleep. You need the rest."

Kate smiled sleepily as Harry and Pippa headed towards the door. "Thanks guys, good night!"

"Goodnight," Harry and Pippa said in unison. Kate squirmed under the blankets in her bed and gazed at the picture of her and Will she had on her bedside table. She picked up the phone and dialed his number, knowing he wouldn't answer. She liked to hear his voice in the answering machine.  
><em><br>"Hello?"_

Kate blinked, her heart skipping a beat. "Will?" She sat up, a sudden burst of energy pulsing through her veins. "I thought you didn't have phone access for three more days?"  
><em><br>"I thought I didn't either. Commander Dan got a phone hooked up in one of our headquarters though so now we can talk every day. I was just about to call you."  
><em>  
>Kate grinned, a tear glistening in her eye. "I really miss you." She heard Will sigh.<br>_  
>"Kate, you have no idea how much I miss you. I've barely gotten any sleep in the four weeks that I've been here. The only thing that can cause me to fall asleep is thinking of being with you in our warm bed back in London. It's so cold here."<br>_  
>Kate bit her lip. "I wish I could do something to help you."<br>_  
>"You're helping just by talking to me. The sound of your voice makes me so happy."<br>_  
>Kate could hear the smile in his voice. "Your voice makes me happy as well."<br>_  
>"I love you," <em>he said simply, a burning emotion evident in his voice. _"And I love our baby."  
><em>  
>A tear escaped Kate's eye as she rubbed her stomach. "I love you too. And the baby says they love you very much."<p>

Will laughed. _"Good, I'm glad. What were you doing before you called me?"  
><em>  
>"Thinking of you, eating ice cream, thinking of you more. It's been really hard to put on a smile in front of everyone when all I want is to be with you and, well, frankly, cry. I want to cry all the time and I don't know why!" Her voice choked up as more tears trickled down her cheeks. "Okay, I'm being silly. I do know why. The pregnancy. I'm being so irrational and over-emotional and I've been eating cookies and cream ice cream like there's no tomorrow and I've turned into a blubbering, rambling mess!"<br>_  
>"Kate, Kate," <em>Will bit back a chuckle, though he felt sadness in his core. He wished he could be at home with Kate to witness her mood swings. He wished he could hold her when she cried and make her laugh when she was irritated. The best he could do was console her over the phone, and it was going to have to do for now. _"Shhh, baby. I love you. Remember that, okay?"  
><em>  
>Kate inhaled loudly. "Yeah, okay," she rubbed her eyes and lay back on her pillow. "How long to you have to talk?"<br>_  
>"As long as you want."<br>_  
>"Can we talk all night?" Kate's emotional voice raised an octave.<br>_  
>"Yes, we can definitely talk all night."<br>_  
>The couple talked into the wee hours of the morning; until Kate's words became slurred and her eyes could no longer stay open. They talked about everything from the serious issues Will faced in Afghanistan, to the pretty shaped cloud Kate had seen the other day. The couple could find conversation in everything and nothing. As long as they were hearing each other's voices and exchanging loving words frequently, they knew they could survive this drought in their relationship. No matter how long it would last.<p>

**Thanks for reading!  
>Reviews would be awesome :)<strong>


	5. Hospitals

**I realized I should probably put a disclaimer on this story. So yeah, I don't own anything. At all. I wish haha.**

It wasn't until Will had fully processed Harry's words that his mind began calculating, thinking quickly.

"What do you mean Kate's in the hospital?" Will's voice was stern with concern.  
><em><br>"Will, I said she's going to be fine…I think."_

"You think?"

Harry sighed. _"I'm no doctor Will, Pippa and I haven't seen the actual physician yet with the verdict. But Pippa was researching and she said that Kate's symptoms could simply just be the baby moving around in her stomach and hitting her bones and organs in an uncomfortable way." _

Will cringed at the thought of his and Kate's baby crushing her insides. He exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, what are her symptoms again?"  
><em><br>"Fever, nausea, and pain on her lower right abdomen. Oh, wait Will. The doctor just came out of Kate's room, hold on one minute."  
><em>  
>Will seemed to forget how to breathe as he pictured Kate's weak, sick body lying limply in a white hospital bed back in London. He chewed his lips and repeated soothing words to himself. She's going to be okay. Nothing serious is going on. She's going to be okay.<br>_  
>"Will?"<em>Harry came back on the line after a few minutes had passed. His voice was uneasy, Will could tell.

"What, Harry? Is she okay?"

Harry gulped. _"According to the doctors, Kate has appendicitis."  
><em>  
>Will's heart stopped beating. "Appen-appendicitis?" he choked out, his eyes stinging. "Is that even possible during pregnancy?"<br>_  
>"Yes. It's rare, but it happens. She needs surgery immediately, or else."<br>_  
>Will narrowed his eyes. "Or else?" His palms were sweating feverishly.<p>

Harry's eyebrows crinkled with worry and longing for his brother to be with them. He replied quietly, his words a soft mumble._"We could lose her and the baby."  
><em>  
>Will gulped and slid to the concrete floor in his bedroom. He squeezed his eyes shut as his mind slowed down and tried to process everything. "Okay, what are the chances that… that you know…?"<p>

Harry shrugged helplessly on the other end. _"The doctor said Kate and the baby have a very good chance of survival because the doctor caught the appendicitis early on, and she's only three months pregnant so it will barely affect the baby, if at all."  
><em>  
>Will didn't feel relief, but a small weight lifted off his shoulders. "Okay, well that's good I guess. Is she able to speak with me or can you not go see her?"<br>_  
>"I'll go ask the doctor."<em>

Harry kept the phone to his ear as he walked up to the doctor.

"Hey, Will is on the other line, is he able to speak with Kate?"

The doctor pursed his lips. "We're about to start prepping Kate for surgery, so he can have a very short conversation and then he's got to go."

Harry nodded and walked into Kate's room. She was lying on the bed, her face cringing as her hands clutched her side. She attempted a smile as Harry  
>walked up to her, but she couldn't seem to muster much more than a faint movement of her lips. Harry stared at her as and spoke back into the phone. "Will, you've got sixty seconds."<p>

Kate's eyes widened as she mouthed "Will?"

Harry moved his head up and down and handed her the phone. "Yeah, he's worried sick. You guys have to make this conversation short, okay?"

Kate nodded obediently as Harry handed her his phone. She held it closely to her ear and spoke in a whisper. "Will?"  
><em><br>"Oh my God, Kate," _she heard Will let out a loud breath. _"How are you?"  
><em>  
>Kate replied slowly, her stomach pains deflating briefly. "I've been better. My stomach just…" The pains returned, coming on stronger than before. She struggled to keep speaking with Will, her words strangled with pain. "MY stomach just - ow!" She gritted her teeth as the pains in her stomach worsened. Unusual, strong pulse-like feelings in her right abdomen caused a few tears of pain to roll down her cheeks. She in took a sharp breath and realized her grip was almost crushing Harry's phone. "Will, I really can't…speak right now. I'm so sorry," she hung up and held her lower stomach, biting her bottom lip furiously and praying that her child would be alright.<p>

In Afghanistan, Will listened solemnly to the loud buzz of the dial tone. Tears of frustration and worry trickled over his lids as he desperately wished to be with her. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. They had been in Afghanistan for three months and no sign of success had given Will any hope that they would find the captured soldiers. It wasn't fair. It all wasn't fair.

"Lieutenant Roger!" Will walked with fury into his lieutenant's office after he hung up the phone. "I need to talk to you."

Lieutenant Roger looked up from the map he was studying and raised his eyebrows. "William, what's wrong?"

Will clenched his fists in balls at his sides. "I need to leave Afghanistan."

Roger scoffed. "Not until your mission is over."

"Lieutenant Roger, I need you to hear me out," Will sat down in the chair opposite Roger's desk. He inhaled shakily. "My wife is pregnant and very sick. She's in the hospital. We've got more than enough men here to finish the mission without me. I need to go home," Will's voice was so loud and demanding, some of the troops that were resting in their beds had gathered around the Lieutenant's door and listened intently.

"William," Roger rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I'm sorry to hear that, but you cannot go home. You have a duty to fill, and you will fill it at all costs. No questions asked."

Rage swirled in Will's chest, his knuckles turning white. He spoke slowly, his words detached. "I. Need. To. Go. Home."

Roger shook his head and turned his attention back to the map. "No. I'm not going to repeat myself, William. End of discussion. Leave my office," he looked up at Will, and was started by the fury in his eyes. "Now, Will."

Will cursed under his breath and stomped out of the office. He didn't care if he was acting childish, he knew where he needed to be, and it sure wasn't in a dusty, cold building in Afghanistan. He grabbed his pilot helmet and suit and walked with determination towards the door.

"Will! Where are you going?"

Will turned around and faced Rob. "I'm getting this God-damn mission over with," he turned on his heel and opened the door.

"Will, are you mad? That's highly dangerous and extremely stupid to go out there by yourself! If you wait a few days, we have another fight planned."

Will narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a few days, okay? I'm finishing this mission now."

Robert grabbed Will's arm before he could leave. "If by some miracle you don't die out there, Roger is going to murder you for going off by yourself, Will!"

Will's nostrils flared. "Does it look like I give a shit?" He ripped his arm out of Rob's grasp, slammed the door shut, quickly changed into his uniform, and stuck his helmet on. He hastily checked the wings and gas tank of his plane before he climbed on and took off. He looked down at the headquarters before he got too high and saw Rob, Roger, and a few of the other troops looking up at him.

"You're in it now, Will," he muttered to himself. "Don't screw this up."

He didn't know exactly where he was flying to, but he knew that if he flew fifty miles east, he would reach the main bombing area. He might not have had much sense in him, but he at least knew to avoid that. Fifty miles north would lead him to the Afghan headquarters. They had flown there a month ago and had no luck. Will's plane had almost gotten shot down as well. His only options were west or south, and he knew south would lead him nowhere...but maybe nowhere was exactly where he needed to go.

South it was.

* * *

><p>"Harry, I'm scared," Pippa rubbed her eyes, her petite frame sitting cross-legged in a hospital chair. Harry sat down beside her and patted her leg.<p>

"I'm scared too, but I'm sure Kate will be fine."

Pippa bit her lip. "Did you see her as they wheeled her into surgery? She looked pale as a ghost," Pippa ran a hand through her perfectly styled hair. "I have never seen that look of pain on somebody before."

Harry didn't reply, partly because he knew she was right, and partly because he was suddenly struck with the realization that now was his chance to comfort Pippa. What better opportunity to put his arms around her and soothe her? But maybe holding her would be too much. What if it creeped her out? What if she wasn't into him? What if she had another guy she was interested in? Harry knew without a doubt that she had tons of guys who would bend over backwards for her. But all they cared about was her beauty and figure. Of course Harry was physically attracted to Pippa, but he also had gotten to know her heart over the years. She was a wonderful person, and he would do anything to make her his.

A soft weight rested on Harry's shoulder, bringing his deliberating thoughts to a halt. He looked down to see Pippa's head leaning against his shoulder, her eyes closed. Again, Harry was at a loss for words. He smiled bashfully as he moved his arm and wrapped it around her body, squeezing her arm. He noticed the small smile come across Pippa's face as he rubbed her arm.

"Please tell me everything's going to be okay," she whispered. Harry's heart beat a little faster as Pippa opened her eyes and peered up at him.

"Everything's going to be okay," His words were true and pure. "Someone once told me, everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

Pippa grinned. "I like that quote. Very wise."

Harry nodded. "How long as she been in surgery for again?"

Pippa looked at the clock on the wall. "Almost an hour and a half. The doctor said that after the surgery she has to stay another five days at the least to recover," She yawned. "I'm going to have to move in here," she chuckled sleepily.

"Are you tired? You can fall asleep on my shoulder, I don't mind," Harry said, blushing. Pippa closed her eyes.

"Thank you. I think I'll have a quick power nap. My mother and father are on their way over; please wake me up when they get here."

"Sure thing," Harry tried to contain the happiness in his voice. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. But Pippa was already fast asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady staccato.

* * *

><p>"Shit, shit, shit."<p>

Will looked around the unfamiliar territory after landing his almost fuel-less plane. He had been flying for seven hours and decided to land before he crashed from the complete absence of gas. His fury with Lieutenant Roger faded quickly once the realization that he had no idea what he was going to do if he: A) Found the missing soldiers and couldn't fit them into his small fighter plane. B) Ran out of gas and was stranded, left to die since no one knew where he was going. C) Got shot down by an Afghan soldier and was injured… or worse. Thankfully, he had another jug of gas in the back of his plane that he would use for his plane ride back to the Britain headquarters. He hadn't found a trace of the missing soldiers in his rebellious endeavor to find them by himself. Now he was lost, cold, hungry, and certain that he would be flying through the night into the early morning. The sun was setting rapidly over the horizon and Will knew that if he didn't fill up his gas tank soon, he would be there in the dark forest with God knows what. Oh and then not to mention that as soon as he got back he would be stripped of his duty as search and rescue pilot, kicked off the RAF, and banished from England for the rest of his life. Okay, maybe not the last part, but Will knew he was going to get into some serious trouble when he got back to headquarters.

"You really messed up, Will. Thinking you could find the soldiers by yourself. Dumb, dumb, dumb," Will muttered to himself as he propped open the trunk of the plane and grabbed the gas jug, filling up the tank until he was certain he wouldn't run out of fuel. He climbed in and set off, ready to face the consequences of his immature actions. 

* * *

><p>Kate could only fathom two things as she awoke from the deep slumber she seemed to be in. One, she had no idea where she was. And two, her lower stomach was very sore.<p>

"Will?" He was the first thing on her mind every day. She rubbed her eyes and cleared her throat, her voice groggy. "Will, where are you?"

She sat up and tried not to bend over to avoid pressure on her sore stomach. As she looked around the room, everything flooded back into her brain. She was in the hospital because she had appendicitis. Will was in Afghanistan.

"Oh…oh my God," her hands instantly flew to her stomach. Her baby, was her baby okay?

"I need a doctor," she said hastily. "I need a doc-"

The door slowly opened, a tall, dark figure walking through. Kate raised her eyebrow as the figure turned and faced her.

"Kate!"

Will ran across the room and had Kate in his arms before she had an opportunity to process what was happening to her. He squeezed her tightly and somewhat awkwardly as she was still lying on the bed and he was bent over.

"Will?" she whispered, her voice full of emotion. "What…why…how?"

Will giggled as he pulled back from their embrace just to place his hands on either side of her face and kiss her passionately and lovingly. "I missed you so much," he whispered as they pulled away. "How are you feeling?"

Kate's mind was reeling. She could barely process the fact that she was in a hospital room, much less the fact that Will was in front of her, safely back from Afghanistan.

"I…what? Will, I'm so confused!"

Will climbed onto the bed beside Kate and pulled her into his arms again. "I'm sorry," he said as he kissed the top of her head and rubbed her stomach. "How about we just be together right now, and we can answer questions later?"

Kate grinned; the confusion slipping away the longer Will held her and peppered her with kisses. "I love you so much," she said softly, twisting her neck so she could look at him. Will beamed back at her.

"I love you more," He brushed his lips against her cheek, causing shivers to run through her body. The couple lay in silence for a few minutes, soaking in each other's presence.

"Will?" Kate said, breaking the quiet. Will peered down at her.

"Hm?"

"Is the baby okay?"

Will smiled and patted her stomach gently. "Yes, the baby is great. The baby is doing great, you are doing great, everything is great."

Kate didn't say anything. She simply brought her lips up to meet Will's, kissing him in a way that showed her happiness, love, and devotion towards him.

And everything was great.

**Weak ending, but meh, oh well. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Bed Rest

**This is definitely my longest chapter yet. Hope you all like it!**

"Bed rest. That means stay in bed."

Kate sighed and pouted, swinging her legs over the bed and onto the ground. "Please, Will. I've been back from the hospital for three days now, and I've been in bed all three of those days. Plus, I was in the hospital for five days before that, _in a bed_. I'm sick of being in a bed!"

Will tilted his head. "You got the last part right."

"What, that I'm sick of being in a bed?"

"No," Will shook his head. "The first part of that sentence."

"I'm sick-"

"There it is!" Will clapped his hands and sat down beside Kate. "You're sick, Kate. You had your appendicts taken out just over a week ago," he moved his hand up to her cheek and brushed along it. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Kate closed her eyes at Will's touch. "Fine. What do you have to do today?"

Will bit his lip. "Uh...nothing…"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Come on Will."

"My medal ceremony is today."

Kate gasped. "No! No, Will, please let me go!"

Will shook his head. "Nope, not happening," he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down onto the pillows, his body hovering over  
>hers. "If anything ever happened to you under my watch…" he shook his head and kissed her lips sweetly. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself."<p>

Kate smiled. "Will, I love you, you know that?"

Will nodded.

"Then forgive me when I say that you're being crazy. I'm going to your medal ceremony."

Will moved his body from its hovering position over Kate and sat beside her. "No, you're not coming."

Kate sat up. "I feel a lot better today, Will. I can handle going out for one night. I'll even stay in bed all day and I'll go straight to be when I get home."

Will was stuck on his decision. "Nope, I won't allow you."

Kate opened her mouth to speak, but Will placed his index finger over her lips before she had a chance. "No."

Kate narrowed her eyes and moved Will's hand off her lips. "Will, I'm not some robot, you can't control me."

Will crossed his arms and shrugged. "You're not coming."

Kate was stunned by Will's stubbornness. "I...I can't believe you're acting like this! You think you can control me? Fine, then I can control you too. Get out."

Will sighed. "Kate, come on."

"Get out."

Will grunted and walked out of his and Kate's bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. What had just happened?

* * *

><p>If there was one thing Pippa Middleton couldn't stand, it was when people argued. She avoided getting into arguments with her friends and family as much as possible, because she hated the idea that a relationship could be in jeopardy because of a few words exchanged. This harmonious need in Pippa was one of the main reasons she adored Will and Kate's relationship. They never fought. Even when they broke up, it was mutual. So Pippa was a little concerned when Kate called her, the anger from an argument with Will still in her voice.<br>_  
>"Pippa, come over now."<em>

Pippa raised an eyebrow. "Kate, what's wrong?"  
><em><br>"I need your opinion on something."  
><em>  
>Pippa was there within ten minutes, by her sister's side, listening to her rant.<p>

"I just can't believe how Will was acting! Absolutely ridiculous."

Pippa frowned. "Maybe you guys can just put this behind you-"

"No!" Kate huffed. "He needs to understand that he can't boss me around like that."

Pippa shrugged and rubbed her sister's arm. "He's just worried about you, Kate."

Kate's jaw dropped. "You're on his side, aren't you?"

Pippa threw her hands up. "I don't take sides! Kate, you know how much I hate arguments."

Kate's lips formed a tight line. "I'm calling James."

"Kate, stop it. You're overreacting. Plus, James is working today."

Kate blinked, her expression un-changing. "Was Will downstairs when you came in?"

"Yeah, he was reading something at the kitchen table."

Kate grinned slyly. "Perfect. I'm calling Harry, that'll make him angry."

"Kate, no. Stop it."

Kate's eyes darkened. "You can leave if you don't agree."

Pippa exhaled with a puff. "Fine, I'm leaving."

Kate watched her sister leave, waving in a somewhat sympathetic way as she closed the door. Kate grabbed her cell phone and dialed Harry's number.

* * *

><p><em>Darkness embodied Will as he flew his plane across the Afghan night sky. He shivered as the temperature continued to drop as time went on. He had been flying for almost four hours, and sleep was starting to take over his body.<em>

_"Don't lose it," he grumbled to himself, rubbing his eyes. "Will, do not lose it."_

_The thought that he could be bombed or shot down at any moment didn't cross his tired mind as he soared deeper into the black. The thought of getting back to Kate was the only thing keeping him from completely losing consciousness. He thought of her soft eyes and warm lips. Her comfortable embrace, her-_

_A flicker of light, faint but alive, caught and averted Will's eyes from their lock in the spanning darkness in front of them. He slowed the plane and furrowed his brow._

_"What the heck…" he squinted and slowly started turning the plane in the direction of the light. Descending the plane, he hovered fifty meters above a small shack. A shadowy figure emerged from what seemed to be a door. They looked up at Will's plane and waved their arms._

_"Oh shit," Will picked up the large flashlight he had stored in the glove compartment of the plane. He flashed it down in the direction of the waving figure._

_"Help!" it said, its voice wrangled and distorted. In the light, the person looked stick thin. Their cheekbones were completely inflated, their thighs were all bone, and their arms looked sickly weak._

_"Oh my God!" Will whipped his head around the plane, briefly forgetting how to operate its controls. He had found the missing soldiers. He had found them!_  
><em>Will brought the plane down closer to the shack and cut the engine.<em>

_"Please, please help us. The guards are off duty, we're completely alone," the person begged._

_Will nodded prominently and landed on the ground. His legs shook as he bolted off the plane and took hold of the first soldier, helping him to the safety of the plane._

_"Thank you so much," the soldier sighed weakly and collapsed his small body in the back of the plane. "There's only my other friend in there, Jake. They killed the_  
><em>rest. Please save Jake."<em>

_Will nodded. "I definitely will."_

_He sprinted into the shack and searched through the small rooms, a horrible stench of rotten fish filling his nose._

_"Oh, God," he muttered as he turned into what seemingly looked like it was supposed to be a bedroom. Except there were no mattresses on the beds, just cracked boards of wood. Jake was lying on one of the wooden beds, looking much weaker than his friend Will had just saved._

_"Who are you?" Jake choked out as Will picked him up and carried him out of the shack._

_"I'm Will, and I'm here to save you."_

_Will carefully placed Jake beside the other man in his plane and quickly took off. The Afghan guards could be back at any moment._

_"So you're Andrew Miller, and you're Jake Massing?" Will had placed pictures and names of the missing soldiers inside his plane, just in case he ever found them. He tried to keep his voice calm, though the mix of adrenaline and fear that Jake or Andrew would die on the way back to headquarters didn't do much good._

_"Yes, I'm Andrew. When will we get back to safety?"_

_Will checked the clock. Three am. He had been flying since eleven pm. "Probably in an hour or so, if I really fly fast."_

_"Please do," Jake wheezed, his eyes closing. Will knew that wasn't a good sign. He needed to keep them talking to keep them alive._

_"So there were fifteen missing soldiers, and now there are only you two, correct?"_

_Andrew nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately our friends were killed. Jake and I were next. The guards left because they needed to get more bullets for their guns. We were going to die tomorrow probably," Andrew grimaced._

_Cringing, Will picked up the speed of the plane another notch. "I'm so sorry. Did they feed you guys at all?"_

_Andrew shrugged shakily. "If you count half a cup of rice every morning 'feeding', then yes, they fed us. But look at us," Andrew shook his head as he stretched his arms in front of him and pinched at his thin skin. "We look like skeletons."_

_Will nodded solemnly, racking his brain for other questions._

"Will? Will. Will!"

Will abruptly lifted his head. "What? Whoa."

"You fell asleep at the kitchen table," Pippa chuckled, sitting beside Will. Will rubbed his eyes and wiped the drool from his chin.

"Oh…wow, I was dreaming quite vividly about that night in Afghanistan. It still feels like yesterday."

Pippa nodded silently.

"How's Kate?" Will asked. Pippa inhaled slowly.

"Uhhh…"

Will ran a hand over his head. "Not good I suppose. Should I give her distance until she cools down a bit?"

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea," Pippa grabbed an orange off a fruit platter and started peeling it. "I understand where you're coming from, even if  
>Kate doesn't. You're worried about her."<p>

Will's eyes widened. "Exactly! I worry about her every minute of every day. She doesn't seem to understand that. She thinks I'm controlling her."

Pippa popped an orange into her mouth. "Well, let's see how she is later on today. I think she'll be-"

"Hello?" A voice echoed from the front door.

Will cocked an eyebrow. "Harry?"

Harry padded through the house, into the kitchen where Will and Pippa sat.

"Where's Kate?"

Will grimaced. "Upstairs. Why?"

"She called me and told me she needed to talk to me and wanted me to go see her immediately," Harry narrowed his eyes at Will. "What's going on, Will?"

Will gestured towards the stairs. "Go ask Kate."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe Will!"<p>

Kate took a large scoop of ice cream and stuck it in her mouth. "I know!" she said, her reply muffled. "Thank you for bringing this up by the way," she gestured towards the ice cream. "I was starving."

Harry chuckled. "Anything for my little sister. So, I think Will is completely out of line. Why would he treat you like you're so…inferior?"

Kate nodded prominently in agreement. "I know! I was shocked."

"What does Pippa think of the whole situation?"

Kate licked her lips. "She won't admit it, but she's definitely on Will's side."

Giggling, Harry took Kate's spoon from her hand and took his own spoonful of ice cream. "It looks like we've got a situation of sibling versus sibling."

Kate grinned and moved her hands to her stomach. "How did you like that ice cream, baby?"

"I loved it mommy, more!" Harry said in a high-pitched baby voice as he leaned towards her stomach. Kate laughed cheerfully.

"Oh my goodness. This baby is going to love you, Harry."

Harry scoffed. "Duh."

Kate smiled and moved her hands from her stomach to her hair, which she tied up in a high pony tail. "So Harry, do you think you can talk to Will?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'll go right now. And when I get back we can watch whatever chick flick we want."

Kate clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! How about The Proposal?"

"Anything you want. You know why?"

Kate shook her head.

Harry grinned. "Because you're my sister, and I love you."

Kate's expression softened, her lips pursing. "I love you too, Harry. Thank you for everything." Her lips tug up in a smile as Harry nodded and walked out the door.

* * *

><p>It was a rare occasion when Will and Harry agreed on something. As Will and Pippa chatted in Will's living room, Will knew that Harry would side with Kate in their tiff, not only because he always disagreed with Will, but because he was a sucker for Kate, and would never do anything to upset her.<p>

"Will, can we talk for a moment? Sorry, Pippa."

Will nodded and walked into the dining room with Harry.

"Will, you need to go apologize to Kate."

Will crossed his arms. "And why should I do that?"

Harry grunted and sat down. "Damn it, Will. You're so stubborn. Just go apologize to your wife and stop acting so controlling all the time."

Will was taken aback. "I wasn't controlling her, I was caring for her," he spat out. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Then care for her in a more gentle way. I know you can, Will, because that's how you usually care for Kate. I don't know what's gotten into you today though. You can't just boss a person around like that."

Will pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down as well. "I'm just…I'm _so_worried about her. I never stop worrying about her. And then after her appendicitis…" Will shook his head. "I just want to lock her up and keep her away from anything that might cause her pain."

Harry scratched his head. "That's kind of psychotic."

"No it's not. When you're in a relationship you'll understand that you'd do anything for your girl. You'd want to protect her, hold her, and keep her all to yourself…" Will sighed longingly. "I _know_I was being over protective this morning, but I don't think I should have to apologize for caring."

Harry shook his head. "This is insane. One of you has to apologize, and I think it should definitely be you. You're the man in the relationship Will," Harry stood up and brushed the back of his legs before opening the door. "Start acting like it."

* * *

><p>Will walked tentatively up to his bedroom, where Kate had been all day. He was somewhat surprised that she hadn't left to rebel against him, but then again, Kate wasn't the rebelling type. His pulse quickened as he turned the door knob and poked his head in the room, completely prepared to face an enraged Kate. But instead, he found her fast asleep, her hands resting peacefully on her stomach. Will tiptoed completely into the room and closed the door quietly behind himself. He stood beside the bed for a few minutes, a warm smile crossing his lips as he watched his beautiful wife in a pleasant slumber. He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. He didn't care if she was still going to be angry with him when she woke up, he wanted – and frankly needed – to hold her.<p>

About half an hour later, Kate's eyes fluttered open, only to meet Will's blue ones staring back at hers. Kate smiled and sighed, leaning her face towards Will's chest.

"Hi," she mumbled into his shirt. Will smiled and kissed her ear before whispering into it.

"Am I still banished from this room?"

Kate pulled her head back so she could look at his face. "That depends, are you going to let me leave it?"

Will tightened his grip on Kate and kissed her lips softly before replying. "You know, I've come to the realization that I can care for you, you know, I can protect you, but I can't stop you from living your life," Will's cheeks turned pink. "I should have listened to you when you said that you were feeling better today. I don't know, I just want to protect you from everything, keep you all to myself," Will closed his eyes. "Does that make me sound crazy?"

Kate broke out into a smile, her eyes watering. She caressed her husband's face until he reopened his eyes. "No, it doesn't sound crazy. I didn't understand that you were just trying to take care of me," Kate shrugged. "I've been so used to taking care of myself that I didn't really understand where you were coming from."

Will nodded his head. "I could have been gentler though, so I'm sorry."

Smiling, Kate pressed her lips to his cheek. "I forgive you."

Will's smile mirrored Kate's. "So, I think it would be okay-"

"Oh, oh my god!" Kate's hands flew to her stomach. Her jaw dropped as she gasped exasperatedly. Will's eyes widened, his heart racing.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

Kate grabbed Will's hands and stuck them on her small stomach. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at Will hopefully.

"Do you feel that?" she grinned, laughing joyfully. Will's eyes softened as his lips slowly turned up into a sly grin.

"Is that…"

Kate nodded happily at the soft fluttering inside her stomach. "That's our baby!"

Will's mouth gaped as he chuckled, completely in shock. "That-that's our baby!" he repeated, bringing his face down to Kate's. He kissed her excitedly and  
>lovingly, smiling as their lips were still connected.<p>

"I love you," he whispered as they pulled back. He wiped the tears that still trickled down Kate's face. "And I love you," he said to their baby, moving his  
>head so he could kiss her stomach.<p>

"I'm sorry," Kate said as Will moved his head back up. He placed both hands on her face and stared at her, his heart skipping a beat as he lost himself in the depths of her deep blue eyes. "For what?" he whispered.

Kate shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that I hate fighting with you, and I never want to do it again. Deal?"

Will laughed happily and nodded. "Deal."

* * *

><p>Pippa and Harry looked at each other as Harry pressed his ear up against the bedroom door.<p>

"I can't hear anything," he said. "Will has been in there for almost an hour now. Maybe she killed him."

Pippa smacked Harry's arm. "That's not funny, Harry. Although, she was quite angry this morning. Kate can't be held accountable for her actions when she's angry."

Harry turned away from the door and smiled at Pippa. "I'll defend her when she has to go to court."

Pippa giggled softly. "So I'm guessing you're going to Will's medal ceremony tonight?" She sat down on the floor outside Will and Kate's bedroom. Harry sat down beside her.

"Yup. Are you?"

Pippa shrugged. "I'm not sure. Will invited me to go a few days ago and I have a dress, I just don't have anyone to go with since Will isn't letting Kate go,"  
>Pippa fiddled with her fingers, avoiding eye contact with Harry. Harry bit his lip, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks.<p>

"Why don't you come with me?" he said bashfully. Pippa peered at him, breaking out into a smile.

"Really?"

Harry grinned. "Yes, really."

Pippa stood up, smiling sheepishly. "Well, okay. I should probably go home and start getting ready. I'll be back over here around seven?"

Harry nodded, pressing his lips together to hide his excitement. "It's a date."

Pippa chewed her bottom lip and started to descend the stairs when Will and Kate's bedroom door opened, revealing a smiling Will and a smiling Kate.

"The outside world!" Kate exclaimed, opening her arms as she stepped into the hall. "Ah, fresh hallway air."

Everyone chuckled as Will walked over to Harry. "So everything's all right between you two again?"

"Yeah," Will clasped his hands together and smiled cheekily as he thought back to the feeling of his child moving inside of Kate. "Everything's great."

* * *

><p>Will and Kate stepped out of the limousine, and Will's hand immediately found Kate's as the hounding of the paparazzi began. He tightened his grip and leaned down to whisper in her ear.<p>

"Are you sure you can handle this?" he asked. Kate nodded.

"I'll be fine."

The couple walked briskly into the RAF building, commencing the night. Will received his medal of honor for saving the troops in Afghanistan, and made a heartwarming speech about how he had always wanted to help people, and now his dream was coming true.

"I also need to thank my beautiful wife, Kate," Will gestured towards Kate, who blushed as everyone turned to her. "She was my inspiration to find the soldiers. I thought of her when I was about to pass out at three am. She kept my spirit alive, and no words can express how grateful I am that she's in my life. I love you, Kate."

Kate's lips turned up in a small smile as she mouthed back an "I love you" too.

"And then after I had returned Jake and Andrew to safety, I was allowed to fly right home to see Kate, who was in the hospital due to appendicitis. Thank you, Lieutenant Roger."

Roger smiled warmly at Will as Will nodded to him. And finally, as Will's speech came to an end, the whole room erupted into applause and cheers. Will returned to his seat and immediately asked Kate how she was feeling.

"I'm feeling joyful and proud," she replied, knowing that Will had wanted to know how she physically felt. "And my stomach feels fine. Great, actually."  
>Will smiled and nodded at the answer he needed. "That's great. Do you think you could handle one dance with me?" He cocked his head towards the dance floor behind them that was quickly filling up. The music started, and a song all too familiar with Will and Kate began.<br>_  
>It's a little bit funny,<br>this feeling inside.  
>I'm not one of those who can<br>easily hide  
><em>  
>Kate's mouth widened. "It's our song!" She grabbed Will's hand and led him to the dance floor. Will's genuine smile grew as the song went on. Thoughts of their argument that day were replaced with simple and pure love for each other. As the couple stared into each other's eyes, they silently vowed to never argue again.<p>

**The ending is kinda meh for me haha. Oh well, hope you guys enjoyed it!  
>Review? <strong>


	7. Patience

Kate flipped through the baby-name book and casually snacked on sliced apples while the television Will was watching played softly in the background. It had been a month since Will's return home from Afghanistan, and the couple had settled back into their comfortable, normal lifestyle. Will's boss had told him to take two months off of his RAF work because of Afghanistan, which meant he got to spend every waking minute with his pregnant wife, never missing a moment. After all, he had three months of time away from Kate and the baby to make up for.

"Oooh, I like this one. Aiden."

Will looked at Kate from the couch he was on about ten meters away.

"I like it," he smiled, returning his attention to the TV. Kate nodded.

"Me too. What are you watching?"

Will clicked the pause button on the remote. "Castaway. Come join me on the couch," Will twisted his head and patted the empty spot beside him. Kate smiled and rolled off the bed, making her way over to the couch. She plopped herself down in Will's open arms and closed her eyes.

"Hey, no sleeping. I want you to watch the movie with me," Will played with Kate's hair as her eyes fluttered back open. She yawned and peered up at him for a brief moment.

"Looking up boy baby names is hard work," she said, twisting in Will's arms so she could fully face him. "Will, tell me why you're watching this movie."

Will scrunched his face. "Tom Hanks is one of the best actors of our generation."

Kate rubbed Will's hand and stared at him, her eyes deep with concern. She knew Will inside and out; she knew that he found watching Hollywood movies a waste of time. Will looked away from Kate's intense gaze and focused on playing with her fingers.

"Will," Kate whispered. She looked at the calendar across the room and instantly knew what was wrong. It was the 30th of August, and tomorrow would be the 31st. They went through this process each year. Kat was never aggressive or impatient with Will around this time. She knew all he needed was to know he was loved and to have a pair of open ears, ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

"I just…I miss her so much," Will shut off the movie and looked at Kate, his eyes glistening. "Fourteen years and each year it still feels like it happened yesterday."

Kate frowned and continued rubbing his hand. "I know."

Grimacing, Will stood up, pulling Kate with him. He walked with determination, towing Kate through their palace, into the study. Will dug through a few boxes until he seemingly found what he was looking for. He handed Kate a small box, who stared incredulously at it.

"What is this?" Kate asked, gripping the box. Will gestured.

"It's from my mother to you. Open it."

Tears formed in Kate's eyes as she clicked open the box, revealing a beautiful pure gold heart pendant.

"Oh my-" Kate gasped, smiling up at William. "It's stunning."

"It was my mother's. And before that, it was her mother's. Since my mother didn't have any girls, she gave this to me when I was fourteen," Will wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. "She told me to give it to the most important woman in my life," He pressed his lips together. "I've waited this long to give it to you because even though I was certain you were the most important woman in my life while we were dating, I was being cautious, you know?"

Kate nodded.

"But now that we're married, I know we're going to be together forever." Will took the pendant out from the box, clicked it open, and secured it around Kate's neck. "I love you," he whispered, his words truthful and honest. "Thank you for putting up with me during this difficult time. I know I can be hard to deal with during all the other eleven months of the year, so this must be the hardest on you." Will ducked his head, but Kate placed both her hands on his cheeks and brought his face back up to eye level.

"Hey. This is not about me. You do whatever you need to do, okay?" Kate caressed his cheek. "I'll be here."

A small smile tugged up on Will's lips. "Thank you. I know I say this a lot, but my mother would have loved you."

Kate bit her bottom lip. "Thank you. I would have loved her as well."

Will nodded and kissed Kate softly. "Okay, let's go to bed," he mumbled as their lips parted. "We can read the baby name book together."

Will bent down and picked Kate up, bridal style, and carried her back to their bedroom and placed her carefully on the bed. She toyed with pendant as he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed beside her. The couple sat in content silence, browsing through baby names. They both knew tomorrow would be a hard day for William and the Royal Family, but Kate was prepared to be there for whoever needed a friendly shoulder. 

* * *

><p><em>Will's peaceful slumber had been short-lived as he was shaken awake by a pair of strong hands. The fifteen year old boy rubbed his tired eyes and blinked the sleep away, wondering why the heck someone would be waking him up at one am. He was a teenage boy for goodness sakes – he needed his sleep.<em>

_"What's going on-" Will opened his eyes fully to meet his father's despaired ones. "Dad?"_

_Prince Charles flicked on Will's beside table light and had his son in a bone-crushing hug before Will had the chance to understand what was going on. "Dad, what's wrong?"_

_Charles pulled back and stared at his wide-eyed innocent son. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bear to break his fragile son with the few words that he had just been told a few minutes earlier. But he had to._

_"Will, you should sit down."_

_Will narrowed his eyes. "I'm lying in my bed."_

_Charles shook his head, his mind reeling. "Oh yeah. Will, I have to tell you something."_

_Will was a little shocked by the look of complete desolation on his father's face. "Okay…"_

_"It has to do with your mother."_

_Will's breath caught short. Anything could happen to him and he could stand it, except something happening to his mother. "Is mum okay?"_

_Charles swallowed a threatening lump in his throat. "No, Will. She's not."_

_Will furrowed his brow. "What's wrong with her?"_

_Unable to reply, Charles buried his face in his hands._

_"Dad," Will's voice was stern. "What's wrong?"_

_Charles looked back up at William. He took a deep breath and stood up. He walked out of the room, leaving Will confused and frightened._

_"What the…"_

_Charles returned, Harry in his arms, asleep. He couldn't bear the news twice. He would have to tell his sons the terrible news at the same time. He whispered Harry's name until his thirteen year old son awoke. Harry rubbed his small, credulous eyes._

_"Dad?" his naïve voice crushed Charles' heart. Harry looked to his right to see his brother. "Will? What's going on?"_

_Charles sat across from his sons, his back hunched in anguish._

_"Sons," he drew in a breath. "Something has happened to your mother."_

_Harry's fiery eyebrows popped. "What, daddy? Is she okay?"_

_Charles' guard suddenly dropped as the complete innocence of his two sons dug under his skin. They had never had to face anything this horrible in their lives_  
><em>before, and they would probably never witness anything as heartbreaking again. Tears streamed down his face as he pulled his sons onto his lap. He hugged them<em>  
><em>closely, speaking the words that would ultimately change their lives forever.<em>

_"Will, Harry, your mother has died."_

_At first, the room was silent. Charles gauged Will and Harry's faces, but their expressions were unchanging. It was as if Charles hadn't muttered anything._

_And then, suddenly and angrily, Will reacted. He jumped off his father's lap and shook his head._

_"No, she didn't," Will shook his head prominently, his voice shaking. "I-I saw her yesterday. She told me she would see me tomorrow," Will ran out of the room, down the stairs, and grabbed the phone._

_"Oh no," Charles picked Harry up and chased after his eldest son. Will clutched the phone desperately, dialing his mother's number._

_"Please answer, mum," he whispered, his heart racing as the ringing over the phone gave him a pint o hope. "Please mummy."_

_And then the dial tone hit him. Charles and Harry appeared behind Will as he listened to the dull, truthful buzz. Will turned to his father, his bottom lip quivering. Charles put Harry down so he could fully wrap his arms around his other son as reality hit him. Will sobbed into his father's chest._

_"NO!" he screeched, his face turning red as the tears poured. Charles' emotions got the best of him once again. He broke down, weeping as he kissed the top of Will's head. Harry stood beside his father and brother, very confused. He started to wander around the house, his eyes watering._

_"Mum?" He called out. "Mummy?"_

_Harry ran back over to his father and brother, ducking under his father's arm so he could bawl with them._

_"We're never going to see her again, are we?" Harry choked out between sobs. Charles shook his head._

_"N-no."_

_Will ripped himself away from his father's embrace. "THIS ISN'T FAIR!" He screamed, his face beet red. "I WANT TO SEE MUM!" He bolted up to his room, slamming the door behind him. Harry and Charles stared at each other, unable to speak. Harry buried his face in his hands, weeping softly. Charles bent down to his level and held his son close, rubbing his back in condolence._

_"I'm so sorry," he repeated over and over to his young son. "I'm so sorry."_

* * *

><p>"Will?" Harry closed the door to Will and Kate's house behind him. "Will? Kate?"<p>

Will came descending down the stairs, smiling warmly at his brother. When he got to the bottom, he hugged his little brother tightly.

"Another year," Harry said as he pulled back from the hug. He snapped his fingers, his expression solemn. "Another year."

Will nodded. "Yup."

"So you said you found something. What?" Harry asked as Will and they walked into the living room. Will picked up a small book and handed it to him. Harry looked at the cover, his expression confused.

"A book."

Will opened the cover for his brother. He pointed to the words scribbled on the first page. Harry gasped.

"Mum's diary."

"Yeah," Will shrugged. "Dad brought it over this morning. He said he hadn't read it. He wanted me and you to read it together," Will cocked an eyebrow. "Do you want to?"

Harry chewed his upper lip in deliberation. "I don't know. Today is already hard enough, you know?"

Will nodded. "I know, that's what I was thinking. Maybe another day. Besides, we've got the party soon."

Harry handed his brother the diary. "Yeah. Who's coming again?"

"Just the immediately family and some of mum's greatest friends. It's no concert for Diana, but it's not a small gathering either. I invited people that meant the most to mum."

Nodding, Harry walked over to the front door. "Okay. Well, I should get going."

"Yup. See you tonight."

As Harry left, Will toyed with the diary in his hands. He opened the first page, and then closed it again. He knew he should read it with his brother, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. He sat down at the kitchen table and opened the book.

* * *

><p>Kate didn't have much patience. She had patience with people, especially children, but that was pretty much where Kate's endurance to wait for things ended. She was the child who peeked at their Christmas presents weeks in advance, pestered their teacher for mark updates in class every day, and who hated waiting in lines for basically anything. She just simply had no patience for those things. So the fact that she would have to wait nine months to find out the sex of her baby was basically torture, and Kate was going to do something about it.<p>

She walked with excitement into the doctor's office, sitting down at the nearest chair. She had tried to disguise herself with a large coat and a ridiculous hat so she wouldn't be caught by paparazzi, and it worked. She hadn't seen a flash of a single camera as she bolted into the building. Her legs tapped impatiently as she waited to be called in to see her doctor, Dr. Kamera.

"Kate? Dr. Kamera will see you now." The receptionist called. Kate smiled and walked into the office. Dr. Kamera greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Kate! Nice to see you. No William today?"

Kate shook her head as she sat down on the crunchy paper on the small bed. "Nope, I didn't tell him I was coming…"

Dr. Kamera giggled. "Why not?"

Kate sighed dramatically. "Well, I want to find out the sex of our baby, but I've asked him before and he want to wait. But I just can't!"

Dr. Kamera smiled. "I understand. Well, let's get you lying down on your stomach, and we'll see what we can discover with an ultrasound, okay?"

Kate squealed with happiness. "Okay!"

* * *

><p>Will stood in his bedroom, about to get in the shower and start preparing himself for the party honoring his mother. He looked at the clock and decided he should call Kate first. She said she was going to visit her sister and parents and then go grocery shopping, but she had been gone for four hours now. Will dialed Kate's number and waited as it rang.<br>_  
>"Hello, it's Kate Middleton. I guess I'm not with my phone right now, so please leave a message!"<em>

Will sighed at Kate's answering machine and pressed the end button. Dialing Pippa's number, he pressed the phone back to his ear.  
><em><br>"Hello?"_Pippa voice appeared on the line.

"Hi, Pippa, it's Will. Is Kate still there?"  
><em><br>"Still here?"  
><em>  
>Will furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh, yeah. She said she was going to visit you today."<p>

Pippa shook her head. _"Well this is news to me. She never told me she was visiting me."  
><em>  
>"Okay, maybe she's at her parents."<br>_  
>"Yeah, try them. She's probably there. Is she answering her phone?"<br>_  
>Will sighed. "No."<p>

Pippa cocked an eyebrow and couldn't help but feel a little worried. _"That's weird."_

Will chewed his bottom lip. "I know. Okay, I'll try them."  
><em><br>"Okay."_

Will dialed her parents' phone number. No answer. He left a message before trying her parents' individual cell phones. Carole picked up when Will called her.  
><em><br>"Hello, William!" _She greeted.

"Hi, Carole. Is Kate with you?"  
><em><br>"No…why?"  
><em>  
>Will cursed under his breath. "Is she with Mike?"<br>_  
>"No, Will. Mike and I are leaving town this weekend." <em>Carole's voice was concerned. _"Will, where is she?"_

Will ran his hand through his fine hair. "Shit, I don't know. Listen, Carole, I've got to go. I'll call you later. I'm sure she's fine, she's just not answering her phone and no one has seen her all day."  
><em><br>"Oh for heaven's sake,"_ Carole mused, her heart beating a little faster. _"I'm sure she'll show up somewhere. Right?"  
><em>  
>Will clicked his tongue. He was worried, but he couldn't show it with Carole, he didn't want her to worry as well. "Yeah, I'm sure she's with her bodyguard somewhere."<p>

Will hung up and grabbed his keys. He tried Kate's cell one more time. No answer.

"Shit, Kate. Really?" He muttered as he climbed into his car. Before he sped off and jumped to conclusions, he called Harry and her personal body guard.  
>Neither of them had seen her either.<p>

"God," Will said as he drove away from the house. Memories from fourteen years ago came rushing into his memory, clouding his vision. What if something happened to Kate today? His heart raced as the possibility that Kate was in serious danger came to his mind. What if he lost Kate and his mother on the same day?

No, he couldn't think like that. Kate was fine. She would turn up. Will kept his eye on the road, and on his phone, praying for a phone call.

* * *

><p>"Thank you so much, Dr. Kamera," Kate said before she left the office. Dr. Kamera grinned.<p>

"No problem, Kate. I'm glad you know the gender now."

Kate sighed. "Me too," her hands patted her stomach. "My curiosity has been killing me!"

Dr. Kamera chuckled. "Remember to take your vitamins."

Kate nodded and put her coat and hat on. "Yup, I will. Anyways, I've gotta run. I've got to get ready for a party in Diana's memory tonight. Also, Will is probably wondering where I am."

* * *

><p>Will leaned his head against his steering wheel in a deserted parking lot. He tried to shut out the hypothetical pictures in his mind of Kate lying motionless in her car after it had been smashed by some paparazzi idiots. He had been searching for an hour now, called her fifteen times, and no luck. This wasn't happening again. Will couldn't handle this happening again, on the same day as his mother's death.<p>

"Kate, for the love of God, where are you?" His eyes filled to the brim with tears of worry and frustration.

And then his phone rang.

"Kate?" Will didn't even bother to look at the name.  
><em><br>"No, it's Harry. I was on guard in my car across your house like you told me to be, and I just saw Kate's car drive in the driveway, but someone else got out. Someone in a large coat and some weird hat," _Harry's voice hitched with concern. _"I'm going in," _He grabbed a baseball bat he kept in the back of his car and walked across the road, his phone between his cheek and shoulder.

"Oh my God!" Will jammed the keys in the ignition and bolted away, exceeding the speed limit by a large gap. He didn't care, he needed to see what the hell was going on.

"Whoever you are, I'm going to kill you!" Harry yelled, holding the baseball bat high in the air, swinging it in a circle. Kate was upstairs, about to change and get in the shower when she heard the menacing, deep voice. She froze, her heart skipping a beat.

"Oh my goodness," she tentatively walked out of the room and peered down the stairs. Once she saw the bright ginger hair, her fright quickly faded. She giggled at Harry, who looked absolutely humorous holding a baseball bat, his legs bent in a sumo-position.

"Harry, it's just me."

Harry's head whipped up in the direction of Kate's voice.

"Kate?" He set down the bat and sighed as Kate chuckled and waved. "Laugh now, Kate, but Will is going to kill you."

Kate walked down the stairs. "Why?"

Harry gestured towards her phone she was holding in her hand. "Check your phone."

Kate clicked the touch screen of her phone, her expression dropping. "Oh. Seventeen missed calls from Will," she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Oops."

Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, oops," he looked out the window that showed the driveway. Will was running up to the door. "Nice knowing you, sis," Harry patted Kate's arm and exited out the back door, giving his brother and sister in law some privacy. Will opened the front door, his eyes instantly meeting Kate's. He let out an audible breath, but didn't say anything. Instead, he walked forcefully over to Kate, his dark eyes giving her chills. He connected their lips in a heated, brief kiss. He placed both hands on her face as they parted. Kate was panting as he leaned his forehead against hers, the darkness in his eyes still evident.

"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly. Will grimaced.

"I wanted to kiss you before I kill you," he bit his tongue in attempts to contain his anger as he walked away from her and put his hands over top of his head. "Kate, where the hell were you? I was worried sick. No one you said you were going to see today actually saw you," Will pinched the bridge of his nose. "You'd better have a damn good explanation. You know how worried I was? You know how many scenarios ran through my head of something happening to you on the exact same day my mother died?" Will realized his voice was booming, so he stopped talking and sat down on the staircase, rubbing his face with his hands. "You'd better have a damn good explanation."

Kate's heart was racing. She touched the gold heart that hung around her neck and sat down beside Will. "I, uh, I went to the doctors."

Will's head snapped up. "Are you okay?"

Kate closed her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. I actually…I found something out."

"What?"

Kate opened her eyes and looked at her husband. He was already ragingly angry at her. After she said what she was about to say, he would most definitely not speak with her. Maybe she could try to distract him…

"Well, before we talk about me, let's talk about you. What did you do today?" she asked sheepishly. Will rolled his eyes.

"Nice try. Kate, what did you find out?"

Kate's legs shook as she spoke. "The sex of our baby."

Will inhaled with a squeak. "What?"

Kate frowned, her eyes filling up with tears of fright. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just couldn't wait!"

Will shook his head. "I thought we agreed to wait!"

"I know, but-"

"You know what I did today, while you were off discovering this piece of very important information we were going to leave until you actually had the baby? I was planning on reading my mother's diary."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Your…your mother had a diary?"

Will shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, my father brought it over this morning. He said that Harry and I should read it together. So I invited Harry over to read it with me, but he said we should wait," Will stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. "After Harry left, I sat down at the kitchen table, prepared to read it anyways, because I couldn't wait. But then I thought," Will tapped his temple, "of how Harry would feel if I read it without him. Angry. Hurt."

Kate saw where Will was going with this story. "Will, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you where I was going, and that I found out the gender of our baby. But you can't blame me for wanting to know, can you?"

Will sighed and walked in a circle. "I'm not angry, Kate. I'm disappointed. You should have told me."

Kate sighed and ducked her head. "I know," she whispered. "I promise I won't tell you what gender she is."

Will stopped in his tracks. "_She?_" Suddenly, the anger, frustration, and disappointment left Will, and a new form of happiness Will had never felt before coursed through his veins.

Kate brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh my God, that just slipped out," the tears in her eyes fell over her lids. "I'm sorry, Will," She stood and ran up the stairs, her hands clutching her stomach. Will blinked, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. He ran up the stairs after her and into their bedroom where Kate was sitting on their bed, her weeps gentle and controlled. Will's thumping heart felt as if it was going to pound right through his chest.

"Kate, come here," he pulled Kate up and into his embrace. She rested her head in his shoulder and kept crying. "Shhh, it's okay."

"No, you're mad," she whispered, sniffling. Will pulled back and stared at Kate.

"Mad?" he blinked incredulously. "How could I be mad?" he inhaled shakily, his own eyes watering slightly. "We're having a little girl!" He broke out in a grin as realization struck him. He would be having a little princess!

"Yeah," Kate smiled as Will wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb. "A little girl."

Will leaned down and kissed Kate in a completely different way than their last kiss. This kiss said more than any words could. As they pulled back, Will kissed Kate's forehead sweetly.

"I want to name her Diana," Kate said bluntly, her eyes hopeful. Will's mouth opened as he grinned even wider than before. A warm feeling spread through his chest, a familiar feeling. The feeling brought him back all the way to when he first met Kate. The same fuzzy feeling had come to him that night, except it was a foreign feeling back then. After ten years though, Will had felt that warm feeling spread across his heart every single time he fell in love with Kate a little bit more. It was happening again. The way she looked at him, the news she delivered…and Will fell in complete, hopeless love more with Kate. He smiled as he kissed her excitedly. As they parted, he muttered against her lips, a smile on his face.

"It's perfect."


	8. Newspapers and Burnt Toast

"So then he bought me a rose, and took me out to the patio where he had a candlelit dinner set up! I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating!"

Kate pressed her hands to her chest. "Oh my gosh! Okay, then what happened?"

Pippa grinned, her cheeks flushed. "So he brought out a steak he had barbecued, and ten more roses!"

Kate gasped, her body rocking the bed as she squirmed with excitement. "What a gentleman! So then what  
>happened?"<p>

"He took my hand," Pippa pressed her lips together shyly. "And he asked me to be his girlfriend!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Kate flailed her arms frenziedly, hugging her sister. "Pippa, I'm so happy for you!" They pulled back from their embrace. "So what did you say after-"

"Is everything okay up there?" Will called from the main floor. "I heard yelling."

Kate and Pippa giggled boisterously. "Yes, everything's fine!" Kate replied, turning her attention back to her sister's story. "So then what did you say after he asked you?"

"I said yes, of _course_!" Pippa squealed and hugged one of Kate's pillows, her eyes in a daze. She sighed thoughtfully and fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I've been waiting for this moment for two months now," she shrugged. "I guess I was worried that he wouldn't want to commit, but he does!"

Kate beamed and rubbed her five-month pregnant stomach. "I'm so happy for you, Pippa." She looked around the room secretively before whispering: "Am I allowed to tell Will?"

Pippa sat up. "Yeah, sure!" She grinned. "He's probably already found out though!"

Kate shrugged. "True!"

Pippa leaned forward, grabbing her sister's hands. "So what are you and Will going to do for your anniversary?"

Kate scoffed, making a face. "Nothing, this isn't our anniversary anymore. Our anniversary is on April twenty-ninth now, not October fourteenth."

"Oh please," Pippa rolled her eyes. "Your dating anniversary still counts."

Kate shook her head and rolled off the bed, standing up. "No, not for married couples," She walked over to the full-sized mirror and turned sideways, rubbing her stomach.

Pippa appeared behind her in the mirror. "Yes, it does. Ten dollars says that Will has something special planned for you tonight," She perked an eyebrow as Kate turned her attention away from her stomach.

"Deal," Kate shook her sister's hand. "Okay, it's time to measure baby Diana!"

Pippa chuckled, grabbing her coat and purse. "I'll get out of your hair. I'm going to go tell James now anyways!"

Kate smiled and nodded, waving as Pippa left the room. Will entered a few minutes later.

"Here, let me help you," he took the measuring tape from Kate's small fingers and wrapped it around her bulging belly. Kate smiled as Will kissed the top of her head before taking a closer look at the measurements.

"Six point five inches!"

Kate's lips curled up joyfully as she grabbed her baby journal and a pen, scribbling down the number.

"That's point five inches more than two weeks ago," she inquired, setting her journal down and wrapping her arms around Will's waist. "Man, it's getting harder to hug you now with Diana in the middle."

Chortling, Will crouched down and lifted Kate's shirt, pressing his ear to her belly button. "Oh, what's that I hear? Baby Diana is hungry!" He stood back up, opened his mouth and threw his hands up. "I guess it's lunch time!"

Kate narrowed her eyes playfully at her husband. "All you want me to do is eat!"

Will shrugged and grabbed Kate's hand, leading her out of the room. "Eating is good for the baby and for you," he kissed her cheek. "I'll go make us a turkey sandwich with vegetables."

Kate nodded. "Okay."

Will started to walk down the stairs, but stopped when Kate called his name.

"Hey Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to burn anything."

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm using a toaster."

Biting a smile, Kate turned on her heel and walked back into the bedroom. "Exactly my point."

* * *

><p>The rain drizzled softly as Harry climbed out of his Audi convertible and jogged to the front door of Will and Kate's house. Not bothering to knock, he used his key and entered hastily, shaking the rain droplets that had accumulated on his wind breaker off onto the marble floors. His heart pounded and legs shook as he gripped the newspaper from yesterday in his right hand, his knuckles turning white.<p>

"Will?" He shouted as he searched the house, oblivious to the smell of burnt toast coming from the kitchen.

"Kate?"

"In the kitchen!" Kate exclaimed. Harry turned and made a beeline for the kitchen, where he found Will sitting dejectedly at the kitchen table while Kate giggled to herself and put four pieces of bread in the toaster.

"I can't even make toast without messing it up," Will wallowed, frowning. "I suck at cooking! I thought I was pretty good, until this moment," He looked up at his brother and waved sadly. "Hey, Harry."

"Hey Harry!" Kate greeted warmly. "Are you hungry?"

Harry sat down across from Will at the table. "Not exactly. Have you guys seen this?" He held up the newspaper, damp from the drizzle. Will took the paper from his brother's hands, studying the front cover.

"Uh-oh," Will looked over at Kate. "Kate, come see this."

Kate walked over to Will and Harry, her eyes reading the paper as she got closer.

"Aw, crap," she said, her hand covering her mouth. "I wonder if Pippa has seen this yet. She must be so upset about it."

Harry widened his eyes and dropped his jaw. "_Pippa_ must be so upset about it? How about-" He stopped himself mid-sentence as the realization that Will and Kate had no idea about his crush on Pippa dawned on him. "Never mind," he murmured, the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Wait a minute," Kate stared at Harry directly in the eye. "What did you just say?"

Harry avoided the eye contact Kate was evidentially tying to make. "Nothing."

"Harry, come on, tell us…" Kate trailed off as realization dawned on her as well. _"_Oh my gosh_, do you like Pippa?_"  
>Her words came out in an accusing whisper. Will leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at Harry. Harry's eyes darted up towards the ceiling.<p>

"No…"

Kate's mouth dropped. "Harry, she's like your sister!"

Will's eyebrows crinkled. "She technically _is_ your sister."

Harry's face turned complete red. "I know, okay. But I can't help it!"

Kate sighed. "Harry, she's got a boyfriend."

Frowning, Harry held up the newspaper. "I know. _This _is how I found out," he pointed to the headline that read: Pippa Middleton – New Boyfriend?

"Who is it?" he asked. "They didn't get a good picture of the guy she was with."

Will and Kate looked at each other before Will replied solemnly.

"Drew."

Harry choked on seemingly nothing and chuckled, gesturing towards his ear. "Hah, oh man, I thought I heard you just say that Pippa and Drew are dating."

Will tapped his fingers on the table and raised his eyebrows. Harry's eyes widened as he slowly understood.

"Pippa and Drew are dating…no! No! I'm the friggin one who set them up!" Harry poked himself in the chest.  
>"Me!"<p>

_Flashback to Will's medal ceremony two months earlier (chapter 6)_

_Harry paced back and forth as he waited anxiously for Pippa to arrive. She told him she would arrive at Will and Kate's house by seven, and it was six fifty-five. She would be there any minute._  
><em><br>"How does this dress look?" Kate asked as she came and stood beside Harry. "Can you tell I'm pregnant?"_  
><em><br>Harry flicked his eyes over Kate's dress, not paying much attention. "Yeah, it looks great."_  
><em><br>Kate didn't seem to notice Harry's lack of approval. She grinned and did a little twirl. "Thanks! Will hasn't seen it yet,  
>he should be down any minute."<em>  
><em><br>Will's head poked over the railing at the top of the stairs. "When's Pippa getting here, Harry?"_  
><em><br>Shivers ran through Harry's limbs at the mention of her name. "Uh, in a few minutes."_  
><em><br>Will turned back around and walked to the mirror in his bedroom, securing his tie. "Okay," he called. "We have to leave at five after seven at the latest."_  
><em><br>Kate disappeared to the kitchen and reemerged a few seconds later with a cheese stick in hand. "She'll be here soon. Pippa's never late for anything." She took a bite out of the stick. "Mmm, this is so good. My cravings are all over the place. It used to be ice cream, now it's cheese," she shrugged. "Whatever the baby wants I guess!"_  
><em><br>Will descended down the stairs in his tuxedo. Breaking out into a grin when he took in his wife's appearance, he pulled her into his arms._  
><em><br>"You are so beautiful," he whispered, kissing her lips gently. Kate blushed and shyly looked at the ground._  
><em><br>"You're not too shabby yourself."_  
><em><br>Gagging noises coming from Harry broke the intimate moment between the couple. Will and Kate narrowed their eyes at the ginger haired jokester._  
><em><br>"Real mature, Harry," Will chastised, letting go of Kate._  
><em><br>Harry shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, but the soft knock in the door cut him off._  
><em><br>"I'll get it!" He rushed towards the door and opened it, revealing Pippa in a stunning, long sparkly baby pink dress._  
><em><br>"Wow," Harry breathed. "You-you look really pretty."_  
><em><br>Pippa broke out into a smile and looked Harry up and down. "You're not too shabby yourself."_  
><em><br>Kate squeezed Will's hand and whispered in his ear. "I know you want to do the gagging noise, but don't."_  
><em><br>Will looked down at his wife and frowned. "Fine," he mouthed._  
><em><br>Harry turned around. "Are we ready to go?"_  
><em><br>Will nodded, leading Kate out the door. "Let's go!"_

* * *

><p><em>"This is so cool," Pippa marveled as her and Harry stepped through the doors to the ceremony hall. "Will is truly a hero."<em>  
><em><br>Harry smiled. "Yeah, he really is." His eye caught his father gesturing for him. "One second, I think my dad wants to  
>talk to me."<em>  
><em><br>Harry walked quickly to his father. "What, dad? I'm here with Pippa," He jerked his head in Pippa's direction and widened his eyes. Charles clasped his hands together._  
><em><br>"Harry, you've got to sit with us tonight. Not with Pippa."_  
><em><br>Harry's eyes drooped. "What? No! I brought Pippa for that specific purpose, so I could sit with her."_  
><em><br>Charles lifted his hands up helplessly. "There's nothing I can do, it's regulation. The Royal Family has to sit together. Kate can sit with us, but Pippa can't. Sorry, son."_  
><em><br>Harry sighed. "Fine, it's okay. Who is she going to sit beside though?"_  
><em><br>Shrugging, Charles started to turn away. "I don't know, introduce her to someone, and quickly; the ceremony is about to start."_  
><em><br>Harry turned on his heel and walked back over to Pippa. Everyone was getting in their seats._  
><em><br>"So it turns out we can't sit beside each other. Some regulation thing," Harry slumped his shoulders. "Sorry."_  
><em><br>Pippa smiled. "It's okay. Who will I sit with, though?"_  
><em><br>Harry whipped his head around the room. The seats were filling quickly._  
><em><br>"Uhh…" He spotted an empty seat beside one of Will's military friends he had met with briefly a few months ago. "Here, follow me."_  
><em><br>Harry led Pippa to the empty seat beside Will's friend. "Drew, this is Pippa," Harry gestured to Pippa. "Is it okay if Pippa sits here?"_  
><em><br>Drew checked Pippa out from head to toe, smiling warmly. "Yeah, it's fine," He stuck out his hand as Pippa took her seat. "Hi, I'm Drew Ashby."_  
><em><br>Pippa grinned and shook his hand. "Pippa Middleton," She turned to Harry. "Thanks, Harry! I'll see you later on the dance floor?"_  
><em><br>Harry broke out into a grin, his face feeling hot. "Yeah, definitely. You guys have a good time."_

* * *

><p><em>Harry squinted, searching for the flowing baby pink dress on the dance floor full of elegant gowns and fancy tuxedos. He didn't spot Pippa's dress, but he spotted Kate's, the one he briefly looked at before they left the house. She was dancing closely with Will, but Harry didn't care that he was cutting in. He had been searching for Pippa for a good twenty minutes now.<br>_  
><em>"Kate?" Harry tapped Kate's shoulder. Kate moved her gaze from Will to Harry.<em>  
><em><br>"Yeah?"_  
><em><br>"Have you seen Pippa?"_  
><em><br>Kate furrowed her brow. "Nope," She peered up at Will. "Have you?"_  
><em><br>Will nodded. "Yeah, actually her and Drew left about twenty minutes ago and went for a walk. They seem to have really hit it off."_  
><em><br>Harry's heart dropped as he processed Will's words. "Oh. I've uh, I've gotta go."_  
><em><br>Will grabbed Harry's arm as he started to turn away. "Hey, where are you going?"_  
><em><br>Harry looked at the ground, hiding his hurt. "I've got my one month training program for RAF starting in France in two weeks," Harry fiddled with his fingers and moved out of Will's grasp, mumbling: "I should go pack."_

_End of flashback_

"I can't believe this," Harry shook his head. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Kate and Will looked at each other. "We though you knew," Kate said. "And we didn't know that you liked her. We thought that you could care less who Pippa dates."

Harry bit his lip and continued shaking his head. "This is bull shit," He stood up, ripped the paper in half, and stormed towards the door. Will patted Kate's hand and followed Harry, catching him before he left.

"Harry!" Will grabbed his bicep. "Calm down."

Harry ripped himself out of Wills hold. "Am I not allowed to be angry about this?"

Rubbing his forehead, Will opened the front door for him and his brother. "Here, let's have a chat on the porch."

He and Harry sat on the steps. There was silence for a few minutes until Will decided to speak.

"Harry, answer this truthfully. Did you _really_ think that you could date Pippa? Honestly, she's like your sister."

Harry threw his hands up in the air. "I know, but she's just…there's something about her."

"You've got to ask yourself, do you like Pippa, or do you like the _idea_ of Pippa? You have the media getting under your skin, saying you and Pippa should date," Will shrugged. "I mean, what do you want?"

Harry inhaled loudly through his nose. "Agh, I don't know. Now that I think about it, if Pippa and I started dating, it would be kinda weird."

Will nodded, staying silent as his brother came to terms with his feelings.

"But on the other hand...she makes my heart skip a beat. She makes me feel happy," Harry frowned. "Well, it doesn't matter anyways, she's with Drew now."

Will patted his brother's knee. "Yeah."

"She was probably just a crush anyways. I'll get over her."

Will chuckled. "Onto the next one?"

Flashing his signature sly grin, Harry nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I guess. Man, I really need to get my ass in a club. Hey, do you and Kate want to go to one tonight?"

Will stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Uh, Kate's pregnant."

Harry's lips formed a circle. "Oh yeah. Haha, oops. No chance that you wanna ditch her and be my wingman tonight?"

Will laughed, shaking his head. "Not a chance at all. Besides, I've got things planned for tonight for Kate. It's our anniversary."

Harry scrunched his face. "Isn't your anniversary on April twenty ninth now?"

"Today's our dating anniversary. I think it's still valid."

Harry rubbed the back of his head and started to walk towards his car. "Man, you're so whipped!"

Will rolled his eyes and stepped back in the house, the smell of burning toast filling his nostrils. He ran to the kitchen, swearing as he turned the corner and walked into a black puff of smoke.

"Kate?" He yelled as the fire alarm went off. He searched through the smoke, until he heard a tapping noise on the back door that connected the kitchen to the outdoors. Kate was standing on the back deck, holding up the burnt pieces of toast while frowning. Will pressed back a smile as he escaped the smoke-filled room.

"Are you okay?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I hate that smell. I unplugged the toaster before it got too smoky, so at least nothing will set on fire," She pouted as she looked at her toast. "I totally forgot about the toast!"

Chuckling, Will wrapped one arm around Kate's shoulder. "You're even worse than me!"

"Hey, that's not fair! If Harry hadn't come in and got me all distracted, this would be the best toast you ever tasted."

"I'm sure," Will kissed the top of her head. "Okay, we have to avoid our house for a while, while it airs out. Good thing I have something planned."

Kate crinkled her eyebrows and looked up at Will. "What do you mean?"

Will broke out into a wide grin. "You'll see."

* * *

><p>Pulse racing, palms sweating and legs shaking, Harry was parked outside Pippa's house. He exited the car and silently pumped himself up, walking to her front door. He knocked, wiping his damp hands on his pants before<br>she opened the door.

"Don't overreact," he mumbled to himself as he waited. "Stay calm."

A few seconds later (which felt like a millennium to Harry) Pippa opened the door, a gleaming smile gracing her face. Once she saw it was Harry at her doorstep, her smile faltered slightly.

"Harry, hi!" Pippa stepped to her left and allowed Harry to enter. "This is a nice surprise!"

Harry's eye darkened at Pippa's upbeat attitude. "Pippa, we need to talk."

Pippa's smile disappeared. "Okay, come in."

The pair walked through Pippa's chic, modern house and into her living room. Pippa sat down on the couch, but Harry stood standing, his hands on his hips.

"How could you not tell me?" His question came out more as an accusation. Pippa raised her eyebrows.

"Harry, you're going to have to be more specific."

Harry's nostrils flared, his anger slowly building. "You and Drew! How could you not tell me you guys were dating?"

"Oh," Pippa's voice dropped as she suddenly became very interested in the pattern of her rug on the ground. "Harry, listen-"

"No, you listen to me," Harry paced around the room, throwing his hands up. "Didn't you feel a spark between us? Anything? Or were you just leading me on with the whole '_I'll see you later on the dance floor?_'" He mimicked her high-pitched voice and stopped pacing. "And then you leave with Drew. And I don't see you for two months. I know I was in France one of those months, but you still had a lot of time to come see me and inform me of what was going on, so, you know, I could stop thinking about you!"

Pippa chewed her bottom lip. "Harry, I was scared."

Harry exhaled, enraged. "_Of me_? That's a horrible excuse."

Pippa stood up and started pacing. "I _did_ like you, Harry. For a long time. But then I met Drew," A small smile tugged on her lips, "And I don't know, did you _really_ think we could have dated? We're basically siblings!"

"Will and Kate said the same thing," Harry replied, sitting down on the couch. He rubbed his face with a huff, his anger simmering. "I just…I'm so confused."

Pippa sat beside him. "I know, I was too. But then I met Drew," she shrugged. "You just haven't found the right girl yet, Harry," She looked to the ceiling, "And I'm sorry to say this, but I'm not the one for you."

Harry closed his eyes, nodding his head. He stood up and headed towards the door. "I understand," he said, reopening his eyes. "Friends?"

Pippa wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him closely. "Friends."

Harry smiled a small smile, opened the door, and was gone. As he made the walk back to his car, a wave of sadness washed over him, and his smile was replaced with a frown.

He and Pippa were over… and they had never even started.

* * *

><p>"Will, guiding a pregnant woman in unfamiliar territory while blindfolded is not very safe!" Kate walked cautiously, wondering what in the world Will was up to.<p>

Will kept his hold on Kate's upper arms secure. "Do you really think that I'm going to let anything happen to you?"

Kate grinned crookedly. "No."

"That's what I thought. Okay, take off the blindfold."

Kate removed the cloth covering her eyes. She blinked, taking in the atmosphere in front of her.

"Oh my…" her hand covered her mouth as she gasped, completely in shock. In front of her was a beach. The beautiful orange and pink hue of the sunset across the horizon caught Kate's eye first, but her attention was quickly averted by the amount of candles set in the soft, white sand. There must've been a hundred. Yellow and purple flower petals were scattered around the beach, and in the middle of all the candles sat a stereo and a table with a couple dozen roses adorning it. The waves in the ocean tumbled gently as soft music played from the stereo, completing the breathtaking scene. It was one of the most beautiful sights Kate had seen in her entire life.

"Happy eighth anniversary, my love," Will whispered roughly in her ear. Kate made some sort of a strangled, squealing sound as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"But it's only our dating anniversary today," she whispered back, almost inaudible. Will chuckled and kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Still counts. Who says we can't have two anniversaries?"

Kate turned her attention away from the beach and to Will. "I didn't get you anything though!"

Will laughed joyfully and wrapped his arms tightly around her lower torso. "You've already given me the greatest present of all."

Tilting her head, Kate became confused. "And what would that be?"

A genuine, bashful smile crossed Will's lips as he stared at his wife, the immense amount love in his gaze giving her chills.

"Yourself."

**Review if you'd like to!**


	9. Happy Ending

"Are you _sure _you'll be fine?"

Kate wanted to chuckle at Will's concern, but she knew it wouldn't be appropriate. So instead she placed her hands on either sides of his arms and held him in a tight grasp.

"Yes."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Are you absolutely, positively-"

"Will, I promise I'll be okay. I survived three months of you gone to Afghanistan," Kate smiled reassuringly. "I can handle one day away from you. Go back to work."

Will groaned, collapsing into Kate's arms. "These past two months have been amazing. Don't make me go back!"

Kate giggled and patted Will's back. "You love your job."

"I love you more."

"Well, that's good to hear," Kate smile gleamed as Will brought himself back up. "Will, you're going to be late."

Detaching himself from Kate, Will grabbed his glasses and notebook and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Where's my kiss?" His eyes danced with the playful spirit Kate loved. She giggled as she stepped on her tiptoes  
>to give him a quick peck, but was pleasantly surprised when he turned his face at the last minute and kissed her sweetly instead. Her cheeks turned light pink, and Will giggled as his fingers brushed over the flush.<p>

"I love making you blush," he said as he turned the doorknob and stepped out the door. "Have a good day, I love you!"

Kate shook her head, a shy smile adorning her face. She waved as she closed the door behind her husband. As she made her way to the kitchen, the silence of Will's absence became the only thing she could hear. It was going to be a boring day.

* * *

><p>"So lemme get this straight. You told Kate you were going to work."<p>

"Yes."

"But you're with me instead."

Will raised his eyebrows. "Yes. What's your point?"

Harry shrugged. "Why didn't you just tell Kate you were here with me?"

"Because, we're going to start a surprise project for her today," Will's eyes brightened as he held up a saw, a chunk of wood, and a can of paint.

"_Another _surprise? My God, Will, you shower this woman with surprises!"

Will chuckled. "Ah, yes. But this one isn't just for Kate. It's for baby Diana, too."

Harry's lips formed a circle. "Oh. _Ohhhh_, we're refurbishing, aren't we?"

Will nodded excitedly. "Yup! We're going to redo our childhood room and make it into a room for Diana. Since  
>Kate and I are moving in here soon, we have to get this room done."<p>

Harry tapped his chin. "How much are we going to redo? I mean, this was our childhood house but at the same time, it's still Kensington Palace."

Will set down the construction equipment and stepped into his and Harry's old room, his eyes scanning the walls.  
>"Well I talked to grandma and she said that we couldn't make drastic changes, but we could modernize this room a bit more, you know? Make it more twenty-first century."<p>

"And is it just me and you doing this? Because you know how horrid I am with saws," Harry gestured towards the saw Will had set down and chuckled. Will smiled and shook his head.

"No, the construction crew will be here soon. But we'll help. I want to get this done by the end of the day so Kate can see it tonight."

Harry inhaled loudly, exhaling with a whoosh. "Wow. That's a tall order. We should get to work."

Will broke out into a large grin, opening the notebook he had been carrying around and showed it to Harry.

"You see, I've made some sketches…"

* * *

><p>The phone rang, shrill and loud, waking Kate from the cat nap she was in. She didn't usually enjoy sleeping during the day, but when she got pregnant she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open for more than five hours at a time. The sleep was also a great escape from her dull day without Will.<p>

"Hello?" Kate answered groggily, yawning tiredly.  
><em><br>"Kate? It's me, Dr. Kamera."  
><em>  
>Kate sat up on the couch she had fallen asleep on and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh, hi! How are you?"<br>_  
>"I'm pretty good. Listen Kate, I've got to move your check up appointment from tomorrow afternoon to tonight at six, is that okay?"<br>_  
>Kate's eyebrows crinkled. "Yeah, that's fine. What's wrong?"<p>

Dr. Kamera's voice was frantic. _"My brother's wedding is in a couple days and him and his fiancé don't know how to organize anything so I've taken it upon myself to help them with almost every aspect of their wedding," _She exhaled exhaustedly. _"I'm beat!"_

Kate chuckled empathetically. "I know exactly what you mean."  
><em><br>"So I'll see you tonight at six?"  
><em>  
>"Yup, see you then," Kate smiled and hung up the phone. A few seconds later, she dialed Will's cell phone number.<br>_  
>"Hello?"<br>_  
>"Hey Will, it's me. Dr. Kamera just called a minute ago-"<br>_  
>"Are you okay?"<br>_  
>Smiling, Kate nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. She just needed to reschedule my check up from tomorrow afternoon to tonight at six. Can you make it?"<br>_  
>"Uhhhh,"<em> Will took a few seconds to answer. This would be his first pregnancy check up with Kate since he missed all the other appointments while in Afghanistan. He had been looking forward to this appointment for weeks – being able to finally see his baby girl on the ultrasound. He wouldn't miss it for the world. But on the other hand, he was stuck on finishing the bedroom. He replied, his voice wavering._ "I really want to go, Kate, but I'm not sure. I've got a ton of work-"  
><em>  
>"Is that a power drill I hear in the background?" Kate listened carefully as Will stuttered out an answer.<br>_  
>"Ummm, n-no, no it's not. I've gotta go, I'll text or call you later!"<br>_  
>Kate opened her mouth to reply, but the line was already dead.<p>

"Ooookay," She sighed dejectedly and flipped the television on, hoping to find something that would interest her.

"Nothing on today, huh?" she mumbled as she rubbed her stomach and browsed through the channels. "What do you want to watch, Diana? Your call."She bent her head down over her small stomach. "What's that? You want to watch mommy and daddy's wedding?" Kate grinned, chills running through her body as she thought back to that glorious April day. "Well, you haven't seen it, so we might as well watch it," She patted her stomach as she stood up and put in the DVD of her and Will's wedding. Grabbing a box of tissues for the tears that would inevitably come, Kate chatted with her unborn baby as the wedding proceeded. And for the first time that day, thanks to baby Diana, she wasn't bored.

* * *

><p>Will checked his watch as he hastily nailed pieces of sawed wood together. Five-thirty. He, Harry, and the construction crew of seven burly men had been working non-stop since the morning to get the room finished by the night. They had made great progress, but after Kate had called Will about her appointment, Will had a new determination to finish the room before six so he could make it to the appointment.<p>

"Will, calm down, we're not going to finish by six, so just accept it," Harry walked over to his frantic brother, a pencil in place between his ear and his temple and a ratty baseball cap on backwards covering his ginger hair. He could have easily passed as one of the construction workers. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and grabbed Will's arm.

"We have to finish before six," Will muttered, stopping his work for a brief moment and taking a look around the room. There were dirty sheets covering the hardwood floors, heavy dust particles hanging in the air, and pieces of leftover wood scattered around. Paint was splattered on the sheets, and the new furniture hadn't even begun to make its way towards the room. There was no way they'd finish in thirty minutes.

"Shit," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, let me call Kate and tell her I won't make the appointment."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Will, go to the appointment and let us finish the room. We can finish it by ten o'clock tonight, you and Kate can come over then," he grabbed his brother's notebook. "I've got your sketches."  
>Will shook his head. "I've got to go pick up the crib right now, so I wouldn't make the appointment anyways," He dug his phone out of the pocket of his old jeans and dialed Kate's number.<br>_  
>"Hello?"<em>

"Hey, Kate, it's me," Will frowned as he spoke. "Listen, I got tied up at work and I won't be able to make your appointment. I'm really sorry." His heart ached as he spoke. He had wanted to go so badly.

Kate's voice sounded un-changed. _"That's okay; it's just a small check up anyways." _

"I know, I just wanted to be there for it and see Diana for the first time."

Kate's smile on the other line was evident in her voice. _"Well you'll have plenty more to come to. I'm only five months along."  
><em>  
>Will chuckled and nodded his head. "True. What did you do today?"<br>_  
>"Not much. Diana kept me company. We watched our wedding."<br>_  
>Breaking out into a grin, Will flushed a light shade of pink. "You're really making me wish I was home."<br>_  
>"We can watch it again another day. I've got to go get ready to go to the doctor's now. I love you."<br>_  
>Will sighed longingly. "I love you too. Don't have too much fun without me."<p>

On the other line, Kate was smiling brilliantly. "I won't, don't worry."

* * *

><p>"This is a beautiful crib you're picking up here. This child is going to be the luckiest baby on the planet."<p>

Will pressed back a smile as the lady at the counter handed him the parts of the disassembled crib.

"Thank you so much for your help," Will replied, checking his watch as he walked out the door. It was six o'clock on the dot. He had to go back to Kensington Palace and put the crib together, but if he worked fast enough, he might be able to make it to the doctor's office halfway through Kate's appointment. He sped through the back streets and made it back to the palace in less than five minutes. Everyone could tell he was in a rush, so no one spoke to him as he quickly followed the instructions on how to put the crib together.

"That's a sweet crib," Harry concluded as Will stuck the last spindle on. Will took a step back and examined his work.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I can't wait for Kate to see it. How's the room coming?"

Will poked his head in the room, and was amazed. Somehow, in the time that he had left to get the crib and assemble it outside of the room, the room had completely transformed from the state Will had left it in. The dirty sheets were gone, the wood chips were vacuumed up, and there were no signs of paint cans anywhere. All the furniture was in place, except the crib.

"Wow," Will breathed, stepping fully into the room. The walls had been painted a beautiful shade of pink, perfect for a little baby girl. Pictures of Will, Kate, Harry, Charles, the Queen, Phillip, and most importantly, Princess Diana, hung around the room. There were even a few photo frames left empty for new pictures of baby Diana. The furniture was majestic, just like the whole room. It perfectly captured the essence of a future princess.

"This is…amazing," Will beamed as he was stunned speechless. "Thank you guys _so_ much."

Harry tapped his watch and pointed up at the clock on the wall. "Will, you've got an appointment to get to."

Will's eyebrow popped. "Oh yeah!" He grabbed his jacket and ran out of the room. "Thank you guys so much once again!"

* * *

><p>Jogging through the halls of the doctors' building, Will came to a screeching halt at Dr. Kamera's room. He smoothed back is wind-blown hair and opened the door, an exhilarated smile on his face. It was six twenty – just in time for the middle of Kate's appointment. He walked up to the receptionist, excited to finally see his baby girl. He had been waiting for this moment since the instant Kate discovered she was pregnant.<p>

"Hello there," Will greeted the receptionist. "Which room is Kate in?"

The receptionist looked startled at Will's presence. "William! You're here…" She trailed off, a frown crossing her small features. "Kate's not here."

Narrowing his eyes, Will placed his hands on the desk. "Oh. Where is she?"

The receptionist chewed her bottom lip, as if she was trying to hold back tears. "Kate has been rushed to the hospital."

Will squeaked in a short breath. "Wh-what do you mean? Why?" His voice was strong and demanding.

The receptionist lifted her shoulders and dropped them dejectedly. "I don't know," Her voice hitched an octave higher as she spoke. "The look on Kate's face though when they wheeled her out…"

Will's heart went into overdrive as he bolted out of the room, sprinting to his car faster than he'd ever run in his life. As he exited the doors of the office and stepped into the parking lot, he cursed as a herd of paparazzi attacked him, their bulbs flashing furiously in his face.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed, pushing through the men and into his car. A large lump in his throat caused his breathing to impair as he sped into the hospital parking lot. His heart pounded in his ears as he barreled through the hospital hallways to the reception desk.

"Ka-Kate Middleton," he wheezed. "Please, what room is Kate Middleton in? Please!"

The receptionist widened her eyes at Will's desperate pleas. "Sir, I'm going to need you to take some deep breaths and give me some identification."

Will cursed as he dug through his wallet and handed her his driver's license. "I'm her husband, what room is she in?" he constrained through gritted teeth. The receptionist looked over Will's ID.

"Room 167," she said, handing Will back his license. Will bounded through the hallways at lightning speed, arriving at Kate's room within ten seconds. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He frantically twisted the door knob, but it wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, Dr. Kamera came around the corner, a look of complete despair on her face. Shemade eye contact with Will, and the look of despair transformed into a complete breakdown.

"William," she choked out through her tears. Will's eyes widened and heart raced with immense fear and confusion.

"Dr. Kamera, what the **HELL** is going on?" he placed his hands on her upper arms, slightly shaking her as she kept crying.

"Th-this has never happened to me before," she whispered, ducking her face away from the terror-stricken prince. Will wanted to scream in agitation. No one was telling him what was going on!

"Dr. Kamera," Will's voice was low with anger. "I'm not going to ask again. What the hell is going on?"

Dr. Kamera peered up at Will. "It-it's going to destroy you."

Will's eyes filled to the brim with tears as his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Just tell me."

Taking Will's hand and leading him to a secluded corner in the waiting room, Dr. Kamera gestured towards a chair, wiping her tears.

"You should sit down."

Will swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down, his limbs trembling. Dr. Kamera sat beside him and touched his knee.

"Will, when Kate and I were doing the ultrasound today…" Her voice hitched as she tried to contain her emotion.

"We couldn't locate a heartbeat in your baby."

The silence between Will and Dr. Kamera could have been cut with a knife.

"Wh-wha-what are you saying?" Will stuttered, the tears spilling over his lids. Dr. Kamera's eyes dropped as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. It was single-handedly the hardest thing she had to do in her five years of being a physician, and she was certain she would never have to face anything as heartbreaking in her career ever again.

* * *

><p><strong>Four Hours Later<strong>

"Will, you're allowed to see her now."

Inhaling shakily, Will stumbled into the hospital room. He cursed at the bright blue walls – a complete contrast of his mood. As his eyes fell over Kate's, the colossal despair he had experienced four hours ago hit him with the force of a brick once again. He crumbled to the floor, tears of deep sadness flooding his eyes. He felt physically sick as he looked up at Kate, who was bawling just as hysterically in the bed. Will's heart completely shattered into a million little pieces. How was he going to live through this?

"K-Kate," he cried, mustering the strength to stand up, only to stagger to the bed and fall onto it. His legs seemed to have lost all strength. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Kate couldn't reply. She clutched her stomach, the violent sobs ripping from her chest. She rocked herself back and forth, wondering why in the world God could be this cruel to do this to her.

Will wrapped his arm around her, causing a slight reaction from Kate. She shifted and also wrapped her arms around his shoulders, soaking his shirt with her salty tears.

"We lost her," Kate wailed into Will's body. "We lost her!"

Will pressed his lips together, his damp cheeks getting soaked by another round of tears. "I know," he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"This isn't fair!" Kate cried, pulling back so she could stare at Will through her bloodshot eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen, Will!"

Will nodded somberly. "I know, baby."

Kate's face turned red with anguish. "They just took her out of me!" She cursed as the hot tears kept a constant movement down her face. "As if she wasn't a living, breathing, human being!" The pace of her breathing increased as she buried her head in Will's chest. "She's gone! This isn't fair!" her words were muffled and  
>desperate.<p>

Will kissed the top of her head and tightened his grip on his wife. "This isn't fair," he agreed, his tears coming on faster. "I'm so sorry, Kate."

Kate brought her face back up and placed her hand on Will's face. She didn't say anything, and she didn't have to. As Will stared at Kate, a new kind of depression washed over him. He had witnessed a lot of heartbreak in his life, a lot of sorrow. But nothing could compare to the altitude of the death of Diana.

Both Diana's.


	10. Back for Good

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. In my dreams I do, though.**

As Will held Kate securely in his strong arms, the two wept together, thinking of everything that could have been with their precious baby girl.

"And she was going to be our little princess," Kate sniffled and clutched Will's chest. Will rubbed his wife's back soothingly, though truthfully, he needed some condolence as well.

"I know," Those two words were the only things Will could seem to muster since the news had been delivered to him.

Another round of sobs hit Kate as she cried: "I'm not pregnant anymore! We're not pregnant anymore," The reality of her statement gnawed at her soul. She let go of Will and turned on her side, her back facing him. "I need some sleep."

A strange feeling consumed the pit of Will's stomach. He adjusted his position on the bed so he lay beside Kate, his arms wrapped around her.

"Will," Kate's voice was strangled through her tears. "I'd like to be alone right now."

Will's eyebrows crinkled as he wiped away the tears trickling down his cheeks. "What? Why?"

Kate didn't turn around. Her voice was barely a whisper. "I just need to be alone."  
>Will inhaled shakily. "Kate…"<p>

Kate didn't reply. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was uneven, and her cries were breaking Will's heart.

"Kate, don't shut me out," Will said, wrapping his arm around her small frame once more. Kate shrugged it off and spoke again.

"Will, please."

Will bit his bottom lip and slid off the bed, his posture slumped as he trudged out of the room, taking one final  
>glance at Kate before he closed the door. Her back was still to him, and he noticed it shake slightly as her sobs continued. Will shut the door and slid to the ground just outside the room, the anguish of the day bearing too large of a weight for him to handle any longer.<p>

And in the middle of his sorrowful tears, his phone rang. He dug into his pant pocket and looked at the number.

"Harry," he breathed, rubbing his free hand over his face. "What do you want?"  
><em><br>"I was just wondering if you and Kate were going to come over any time soon and see the bedroom. It's almost eleven o'clock, and I'm getting kind of sleepy."  
><em>  
>Will's eyes widened, a horrified gasp hitching in his throat. "Oh my God," he whispered. "The room."<p>

Harry was confused. _"Uh, yeah. The thing we've been working on all day. Are you-Will?"  
><em>  
>Will dropped the phone and covered his mouth with both hands. He rocked himself back and forth, banging the back of his head against the wall repeatedly. He could still hear Harry's voice coming through the speakers of the phone, but he didn't care. He stood up with trembling legs and opened Kate's door, leaving his phone on the ground.<p>

"Kate?" Will walked with determination into the room. Kate poked her head up and shifted so she was sitting up as Will came to her side of the bed and grabbed her face, kissing her forcefully.

Kate gasped as they parted. "What was that for?"

Will stared at her puffy, red eyes while pulling her off the bed and into his arms. He ducked his head into the crook of her shoulder and kissed the side of her neck before leaning back to look her directly in the eye.

"I've seen so many couples break up because of situations like this," Will placed his hands on either side of  
>Kate's face, locking their gaze. "But not us," He shook his head fervently, his eyes narrowed. "Don't shut me out, Kate. We're in this together, okay?"<p>

Kate's face crumpled as she leaned her face into Will's body. Her cries were muffled as Will stroked the back of her head.

"We're going to make it through this, Kate."

Kate peered up at Will, her eyes watery. Will wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Do you promise?" she asked in a small voice. Will nodded his head confidently before pulling her head under his chin and kissing the top.

"I wouldn't lie to you. I love you."

Kate pulled back so she could caress her husband's face. "I love you too. And I'm sorry."

Will didn't smile. He simply played with his wife's hair and kissed her once more.

"Have you talked to the doctor about this yet?" he asked, his voice returning to its gentle tone. Kate shook her head slowly.

"She said she would explain once I got out of surgery, which was about an hour ago. They were probably giving us privacy."

Will nodded and walked over to the side of the bed, pressing the button to alert a doctor to come into the room.  
>He returned to Kate in a few seconds, pulling her back into his embrace.<p>

"Everything's going to be alright," he whispered. "We're going to get through this."

A few seconds later, Dr. Kamera walked in. She smiled softly at the image of Kate enclosed in Will's large arms in front of her.

"Oh, hello," Will greeted, letting go of Kate so she could also face Dr. Kamera.

"Hi guys," Dr. Kamera fiddled with her clipboard. "We have some things to discuss. Why don't you two sit on the bed so we can have a chat?"

The couple sat down on the hospital bed, Kate clutching the whole right side of Will's body. Will inhaled shakily, ready to hear what he didn't want to find out.

"Will, Kate," Dr. Kamera fidgeted with her pencil as she chewed her bottom lip. "There's really no way to say this right…but, your baby just died. There was no reason, no disease, she just died," She frowned as she watched Kate's eyes fill up with tears. "I'm so sorry, to both of you. I know how traumatic this is. It's very rare that this happens in a pregnancy, but it's not unheard of."

Kate chocked back a sob as she buried her face into Will's shoulder. "This isn't fair," she mumbled. "It's not fair at all."

Will kissed her forehead as Dr. Kamera bent down and rubbed her knee.

"I know it seems horrible right now, sweetie," Dr. Kamera said softly. "Because it is horrible. But I promise you, everything gets better."

Will stayed silent, consoling his weeping wife. Dr. Kamera stood back up and nodded to Will as she exited the room.

"I want to go home," Kate sighed and wiped her tears, leaving Will's side to grab her things. A sad frown crossed Will's lips as he followed Kate out of the room, keeping a guiding hand glued to the small of her back. As they left the hospital, Kate's cell phone rang. She sighed tiredly, as if she had just been walking in the desert without water for five days.

"What do you want, Harry?" she answered, sniffling. Will wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder and held her close as they came up to the car.  
><em><br>"Well hello there Mrs. Sunshine," _Harry chirped on the other line. _"Will left me on the other line on his phone, and I called him back like twenty times, but he never answered. Anyways, we have a surprise for you at Kensington Palace."  
><em>  
>Kate's jaw locked as she climbed into the car and narrowed her eyes at Will from the passenger seat. "What surprise?" she spoke into the phone. Will widened his eyes at Kate's words. He snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed it up to his ear fervently.<p>

"Not now, Harry."  
><em><br>"Aw come on, man. Why not? We worked so hard on it!"  
><em>  
>Will bit his tongue. "Not now, Harry," he repeated slowly, his voice shockingly threatening. He immediately hung up the phone and stuck it in his pocket, not allowing Kate to have access to it.<p>

Kate stared at her husband incredulously. He avoided eye contact as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto the road. The silence in the car wasn't the usual comfortable quietness the couple had become accustomed to over their eight year span of being together. It was harsh, tense, and could be cut with a knife. Kate clicked her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving Will's nervous ones.

"Okay, I'll bite. What surprise, Will?" The question came out more as a demand. Will's eyes didn't waver.

"Will."

"Nothing," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Don't worry about it."

Kate inhaled through her nose, her breath shaking. Her eyelids filled with tears as she uncrossed her arms and clutched her stomach. "Please, Will," she whispered, her demanding voice replaced with a desperate, soft one.  
>Will was swayed by Kate's instant change in mood.<p>

"Fine. I'll take you over to Kensington Palace so you can see."

Kate didn't respond, but instead rested her head on the window beside herself and watched reality speed by her. It was hard to comprehend that earlier that day she was five months pregnant.

* * *

><p>"It's about time you guys showed up!" Harry slapped Will's back and patted Kate's shoulder as the couple stepped through the grand doors to Kensington Palace. "The construction workers went home, but I stayed because I know how important…whoa, are you guys okay?"<p>

Harry's small lips curved downwards as his eyes darted between Will and Kate. Their cheeks were red, their eyes were puffy, and their posture was slumped. Most notably and obviously, they were keeping a constant distance from each other, with no physical contact. Harry knew something was up. When neither of them responded to his question, he repeated himself.

"Guys, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Will gave Harry a strained, threatening look, which scared Harry enough to shut him up for the time being.

"Let's get this over with," Will muttered, gesturing for Kate to follow him up the stairs. When the three royals reached the top floor and were standing outside the room, Will's heart started racing.

"We shouldn't do this," he said weakly, looking at Kate through nervous, wide eyes. Kate shook her head.

"I'm going in."

Will leaned his forehead against the hallway wall as Kate opened the door with shaking hands and walked in. Harry stayed with Will outside, a horrible feeling forming deep in his core as he watched tears stream down his brother's face.

"You lost her, didn't you?" Harry whispered, placing his arm around Will's shoulder. Will didn't reply, but nodded his head slowly enough so Harry could try to fathom the deep sorrow he was experiencing. His jaw dropped as he yelped exasperatedly.

"Oh my…oh my God," Harry chewed his bottom lip as he tried to contain his own tears that had suddenly sprung, stinging his eyes. "Will, I'm _so_sorry."

Will cursed under his breath and didn't bother replying to his brother. He pounded the wall once with his fist before storming into the room. Kate was sitting on the chair beside the crib, holding the teddy bear that had been placed in the crib. Will stopped in his tracks as he watched his wife's tears pour down her face. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the doorframe, banging it repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He made his way to Kate, trying to avoid looking at the photos and the crib and the changing table – anything that reminded him of Diana.

Kate stood up and practically fell into Will's arms, her wobbling knees offering her no support. Her arms snaked around his biceps and she clutched onto him desperately, her salty tears soaking his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Will squeezed his wife and brought her as close to him as physically possible. "I shouldn't have done this, Kate."

Kate shook her head, her face still buried in Will's arm. "Don't…don't be sorry," she choked out, her words muffled and shaky. "You had no way of knowing."

Will shrugged and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to go home?"

Kate nodded, staying silent. The couple walked out of the room, Kate still clutching the teddy bear, and found Harry sitting on the floor, his face expressionless.

"I just…I can't believe it," Harry whispered. Will patted his brother's shoulder, exchanging a look of despair with him before walking Kate out of the palace and into their car. The drive home was silent, thoughts of everything they had been through flooding their weak minds. Kate was no longer crying. She kept the teddy bear close to her and leaned her head against the window of the car until they had reached home. When they stepped into their house, she immediately went upstairs and into bed. Immersing herself in the enormity of the bed sheets, Kate closed her eyes and prayed that when she woke up, life would be normal again.

* * *

><p><strong>THREE WEEKS LATER<strong>

"Kate, sweetheart," Will poked his head into their bedroom, their home phone in his hand. "You've got a ton of calls. You don't need to answer them of course."

Kate lifted her head from its resting place on the pillow and shook her head. "Not now."

Will nodded solemnly and stepped fully into the room, climbing onto the bed beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged them gently.

"I made pancakes," He rested his head in the crook of her neck and kissed her jaw line. "They're not burnt, I promise."

Forcing a small chuckle, Kate twisted so she was facing Will. "Thanks, but I'm not very hungry."

Will sighed. "Kate, it's been three weeks. You've barely eaten anything," He placed one hand on her cheek. "I worry about you."

Kate's lips formed a stern line. "I'm fine."

Will dropped his hand from her face and rolled off the bed. "Okay, you're fine," he lifted his hands up and dropped them. "I'm going out."

"Fine."

Will pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched his wife pull the sheets over her body and close her eyes. It wasn't so much anger that had encompassed him in the past two weeks, but immense worry. Kate wasn't responding to anything. The first two weeks after being home she cried a lot. They both had. But then, in the third week, something inside of her seemed to have snapped. The tears abruptly stopped and were replaced with blank stares and cold shoulders. She had become completely numb to everything – even William. Nothing he could say or do would make her leave their bed.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>"Will, hi!"<p>

Will stepped into Pippa's front door, his hands clasped and his eyes narrowed – as if he was in a permanent state of deep thought. Pippa raised her eyebrows at Will's contrasting mood. "Are you okay?"

Will shook his head and sat down on one of the steps of her staircase. Pippa closed her door and sat down beside him. She touched his knee and furrowed her brow. "What's wrong, Will?"

Will clicked his tongue and stared at the patterned rug on the floor in front of him.

"Kate."

Pippa sighed. "She's still not better? I mean, I don't expect her to make a miraculous change and be perfectly fine tomorrow, but it's been three weeks now. Losing a baby is a tragic thing, but this is unusual for Kate," Pippa placed her elbows on the step behind her and leaned back. "Has she gotten out of bed at all?"

"No," Will rubbed his face. "I've run out of things to say to her. She won't eat, she won't smile, she won't do anything," He chewed his bottom lip, worry lines carving his forehead. "I'm so worried for her. I've tried being gentle with her, but it doesn't work. I don't want to be harsh...I never want to be harsh with her."

Pippa frowned and stood up. "That might be the push she needs though, Will. When you two broke up, she cried for a week in bed," Pippa gestured with her tiny hands. "Kind of like this situation right now. And like you, I babied her through the first week. I consoled her; I told her everything would be all right. But by the second week, I was sick of her being so miserable all the time," She shrugged. "I told her to snap out of it and get her butt into some nightclubs," Pippa chuckled as Will playfully covered his ears. "Sorry. That's not the point. The moral of the story is that Kate needed some tough love. Yeah, it sucked being harsh towards her, but she got better faster because of it."

Will slumped his shoulders and rested his face between his palms. "Yeah. I just can't imagine being harsh towards her under this circumstance. Giving her tough love after a break up seems acceptable, but this is a life she lost. A life _we _lost," Will felt the threatening lump rise in his throat. "I can't be stern or mean," He stood up and walked towards the door. "I don't know, I'll think of something. Thanks, Pippa."

A sympathetic smile crossed Pippa's lips as she opened the door for Will. "Let me know if she gets any better."  
>Will nodded. "I will."<p>

* * *

><p>"Try watching The Proposal with her," Harry said, a small smile playing on his lips. "She loves that movie; it'll snap her out of whatever funk she's in for sure."<p>

Will shook his head and grunted frustratedly. "Harry, this is serious. This isn't some 'funk' or 'phase'. I'm concerned that Kate might be slipping into depression," Will shuddered. "I don't want that to happen."

Harry sighed and grabbed his rugby ball. He fell onto his bed and tossed it up in the air, his mind contemplating. "I don't know, man. You know Kate better than anyone else in the world. Something will come to you."

Will rubbed his eyes. "I hope so. I can't take this motionless, expressionless version of Kate anymore. I love her with all my heart, and she's making me so worried. I would rather she cried or she got angry, it would show at least _some_emotion."

Harry caught the rugby ball and abruptly stood up, a grin on his face. "Wait. I have an idea."

* * *

><p>She heard the faint sound of Will's keys jostling after he had opened the front door on the main floor. Kate lifted her body up with her weak arms and ran a hand through her hair. It had been another long day of absolutely nothing. The darkness inside her soul had her trapped; a sadness Kate had never felt before had encompassed her in the past few weeks. Wherever she looked, she saw her baby. She couldn't cry anymore though: she had gone into a phase of numbness. What frightened her was that she might never leave this state of frozen, senselessness. Her apathetic mind told her nothing could ever help her move on from the tragic sorrow she felt. Not her parents comforting words, not her siblings' heartfelt condolences, and not even William's unfailing love.<br>That is, until she heard Will's footsteps come closer to the bedroom and a song she had been all too familiar with play from the speakers of their vintage boom box.

"Oh my," Kate gasped as Will walked in the room, the boom box in one hand and a vase of white lilies grasped in his other hand. The song brought her all the way back to 2007 – a lifetime ago. She stayed silent, absorbing the words until the chorus came up.  
><em><br>Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it  
>I just want you back for good<br>Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it  
>You'll be right and understood<br>I want you back for good_

Tears of deep emotion trickled down Kate's cheeks as the song continued playing. Will pressed back a smile of relief. She was crying. She was showing emotion.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the song distant to her now as Will pulled her out of the bed and into his arms. Her tears were hot and fervently rushed down her cheeks."I'm so sorry for shutting you out and I'm so sorry for being so mean and for-"

Will chuckled and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay," He cradled her face in his hands and stared directly into her watery eyes. "I love you, and I miss you. I know how hard this has been on you, but please, don't shut me out. We promised in the hospital this wouldn't happen."

Kate's bottom lip quivered as she nodded "I know."

"Like the song says, I want you back, Kate. I want the old you back," Will kissed her forehead tenderly before continuing. "It's okay to be sad, to be angry. Hell, I'm still both of those. But we need to face these emotions together," He brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and smiled lovingly. "I want you back, Kate."

"This time, I promise I won't shut you out anymore," she whispered through her tears. "I love you."  
>And for the first time in weeks, Kate smiled back at Will. In that instant, all of his fears went away. He broke out into a wider grin and pulled her tightly into his arms. "Oh, I missed that smile! That beautiful, beautiful smile."<p>

Kate's smile grew as she leaned her face into Will's shoulder and took in his familiar scent. Everything was coming back to her. The darkness left her in a sudden sweeping motion as quickly as it had come onto her. No, she wasn't cured. No, she still wasn't back to complete normal. But finally, she saw light at the end of the dark tunnel that had once confined her.

She was back for good.


	11. 365 Days

**And this is the last chapter of A Royal Love. Hope I did it justice! I already made a goodbye post for this story on my tumblr, but I'd just like to state once more how happy writing this story has made me. It's offered a great escape from reality, and I hope that I write many many more stories to this extent in the future!  
>Enjoy! <strong>

365 days.

One year.

God only knows how much can change in one year. 

* * *

><p>"Inhale deeply through your nose, and exhale little, quick puffs."<p>

Kate gripped her lower back; her eyes squeezed shut in pain. "It's," She spoke between exhales, "Not. Helping.  
>Will!"<p>

Will frowned and tried to wrap his arms around Kate's shoulders, but she pushed him away.

"I need space," She exhaled loudly through her nose and walked in the opposite direction of where Will was standing.

"Do you need some ice-"

"No!" Kate screeched, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "Will, this really hurts," She let out a helpless cry, her mood shifting from anger to distress in less than one shocking second. Will's heart couldn't help but shatter as tears of pain streaked his wife's delicate cheeks. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, glad that this time she didn't push him away.

"I know, baby. But it will be over soon, I promise."

"Ow, ow, ow," She cried into his shirt, his comforting kisses not helping her very much.

"Okay, I think it's time to get you back to the room," Will said, his voice gentle. He tried to get his wife to move, but she wouldn't budge from her grasp in his arms. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground.

"Kate, why aren't you moving?" Will asked, rubbing the back of Kate's head as her face cringed with pain.

"I-I," Kate burst into tears, burying her face in Will's shoulder. Will sighed and squeezed her tightly against his body, kissing every available part of her face.

"Why, honey?" He asked once more, the tone of his soft voice causing Kate's heart to ache. She drew her face back from Will's shoulder and stared into his eyes, his deep, concerned blue orbs offering her some of the comfort she needed.

"Because once I step into that room, I'm going to have to go through with this!" Her voice hitched with panic and her eyes were frantic. "And I don't think I can! I don't think I can do this, Will!" Her eyebrows crumpled as tears filled her lids once more. Will shook his head prominently and kissed her forehead, his tender lips lingering there as his hands rested in each side of her face.

"Kate, my beautiful, beautiful wife," he muttered, pressing their foreheads together. "If anyone can do this, you can. You're brave," He kissed her nose. "You're tough," He kissed her left cheek. "And you'll have me by your side the whole time," He kissed her right cheek, caressing it as his lips left it.

"Do you promise?" Kate asked in a small voice. "Because some people chicken out and have to leave the room."

Will shook his head. "I would never do that."

Kate sighed. "I'm sorry for freaking out. My hormones are out of whack."

Will chuckled. "Don't be sorry, I completely understand.

Nodding, Kate clicked her tongue. "Okay, let's go."

Will smiled and hugged his wife tightly before releasing her and leading her down the hall with his hand placed on the small of her back. As they neared the door to their room, Kate abruptly stopped and turned to Will.

"You know, after I enter this room, our lives will never be the same?"

Will broke out into a brilliant, gleaming grin and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm ready for that change."

Kate mirrored Will's smile. "I am too." 

* * *

><p>Will never knew he would ever mix the emotions of petrified and proud in the same moment. As he sat beside the hospital bed, gripping Kate's hand while she screamed, many confusing emotions rushed through him. He didn't know whether to be scared and close his eyes, to trust his protective nature and tell the doctors to back off, or to sit back and watch helplessly, whispering encouraging words to his distressed wife. He had watched many shows about this with Kate in the weeks leading up to it, and most husbands went with the third option.<p>

"You can do it, baby! You're almost there!"

Kate glared at Will, her face turning red as she kept screaming. Will checked the clock quickly; they had been in there for six hours. He was shocked at how his adrenaline was still pumping after all those hours. And then he looked at Kate and was even more stunned at how she had the strength to keep going after six hours. He knew he wouldn't have been able to do that if he was in her shoes. A new sense of pride and appreciation for his wife dawned on Will as she shrieked loudly in the hospital bed. She was unbelievably brave and strong.

"I love you, baby. You can do it!"

"Aghhhh!" One final scream escaped Kate's throat.

And then the room went silent.

Kate wiped the hair that was glued to her forehead with sweat away with the hand that wasn't still gripping Will's. No one in the room said anything at all, they left that all up to the little boy Kate had just given birth to.

A tiny, strangled cry came out of the boy, and suddenly, everything was reality.

"Oh, oh my god!" Kate burst into tears as the doctors held up her new baby boy. "Oh my GOD!"

Will couldn't help the tears that fell over his eyelids as he gazed at his new baby boy. He was completely infatuated.

"It's a boy!" Kate exclaimed, turning her head to stare at Will as the doctors whisked the baby away to clean him. "Will, it's a boy!"

Tears of pure happiness streamed down Will's face as he nodded excitedly took Kate's lips in his, kissing her with as much joy and as much passion as he could muster.

"You did so well," he said as the pulled back. "You did amazing, baby!" He wiped her hot tears even though his own kept falling down his face. "I love you so much! We're parents!"

Kate grinned and leaned her forehead against Will's. "You're a father!"

Will pressed his lips together as his heart skipped a beat. "I'm a father," he repeated exasperatedly. "Wow."

Kate smiled and grabbed Will's face, kissing him forcefully once more. "Climb onto the bed with me," She said, scooting over so Will could get on. As he climbed on, the doctors came back with the baby, a look of sheer pride  
>on their faces for holding the newest Prince of Britain.<p>

"Oh my god," Will whispered as they handed the baby to Kate. Silent tears streamed down her face as she finally got a good look at her new baby boy.

"He's absolutely beautiful," She whispered, leaning her face down and kissing his forehead as gently as she could.

"He weighed in at a healthy weight of five pounds, two ounces," the doctor announced, a grin plastered on his face as he got to witness one of the most intimate moments in Will and Kate's lives. The happy couple grinned up at the doctor.

"He's perfect," Will said wondrously, his eyes snapping back at his little boy. "He has your nose," he said to Kate.  
>Kate smiled. "He does, doesn't he?"<p>

And then their newborn baby boy opened his large, acorn eyes.

"Oh my-" Kate was stunned speechless by the shade of pure blue they were. A new round of tears fell down her cheeks as their boy got his first glimpse at the world. He didn't cry, he didn't fuss. He simply lay in Kate's comforting arms and stared around the room, his eyes curious and bright.

"He has your eyes," Kate whispered, grinning at Will. "He has your beautiful blue eyes!"

"He's amazing," Will breathed, reaching his hand out to stroke his tiny cheek as his eyes stared directly into his son's. "I cannot believe the shade of those eyes."

"They're unbelievable," Kate marveled, rubbing his tiny hand with her index finger. The room was silent for a few wondrous moments, until Will spoke of something very important.

"We discussed a couple of names if it was to be a boy, but I think I know which one I want to go with," He looked to Kate, who nodded her head, their thoughts on the exact same level.

"Spencer," They said at the same moment, causing a ripple effect of beaming grins, spanning from Will to Kate to all the doctors in the room. It was a great tribute to Will's mother who unfortunately wouldn't be there to watch their little boy grow up, but would inevitably be watching over them every step of the way.

"Welcome to the world, Spencer Cambridge," Kate whispered, her voice emotional. "I love you with all my heart and I always will."

She looked to Will, her eyes watery. "Would you like to hold him?"

Will nodded prominently, kissing his wife's cheek as she handed him his new son.

"He's light," Will joked, causing Kate to giggle as she placed her arms around Will's shoulders and leaned her head against his side, staring at their son in his arms.

"Isn't he so warm?" She asked, grinning as Will kissed him.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Will smiled. "Hi Spencer," He spoke quietly, his breath hitching in his throat as his son stared directly at him. "Wow, uh," His gaze stunned Will for a moment. "Your mother and I love you more than you'll ever know. I just want you to know that."

Kate kissed Will's cheek and rubbed his shoulders. "Shall we get him dressed now?"

Will nodded and handed Spencer to the waiting doctors. When his son was completely out of his arms, Will turned to face Kate, a look of complete bliss on his face.

"We're parents," Kate sighed happily, snuggling into Will's arms as he wrapped them around her. She yawned and closed her eyes briefly. "I'm tired."

Will chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "You have every reason to be exhausted. I'm so proud of you, baby. You did amazing. I wouldn't have been able to endure what you just did for _six hours_," Will cringed just imagining the amount of intense pain Kate had been through.

"I'm sure you would have if you had to," she said sleepily. "I'm hungry," she giggled. Will laughed along with her.

"When the doctors come back I'll ask them to get you some food, okay?"

"Okay," she yawned and sat up in Will's arms. "I'm not falling asleep for when Spencer comes back in his little outfit. Keep me awake somehow."

Will wiggled his eyebrows at his wife and leaned his face down towards hers, capturing her lips in a sweet, gentle kiss.

"Great idea," she mumbled against his lips as they parted. "I love you so much. Thank you for everything."  
>Will broke out into a large grin. "I love you too."<p>

A small frown tugged Kate's lips downward. "A year ago around this time is when we lost baby Diana," she whispered, chewing her bottom lip. Will sighed and squeezed his wife.

"I know," he said. "All we can do is [reserve her memory, and to raise her brother like we would have raised her."

"Yeah," Kate sighed. "I miss her. I wish I had actually given birth to her."

"Me too," Will replied. "But now we have a little baby boy," He smiled. "That's a miracle right there."

Kate grinned. "Yeah, he is our little miracle."

"Okay, here he is, Prince Spencer," the doctor announced, bringing Spencer back to Will and Kate. He was dressed in an adorable baby blue onesie with a blue hat placed on his tiny head. "He's one of the most precious babies I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of babies," the doctor chuckled as he handed Spencer to Kate. Kate giggled as she took her new son back in her arms.

"He's perfect."

* * *

><p><strong>THREE WEEKS LATER<strong>

"Ugh, your turn, Kate," Will grumbled, shifting in bed as his three week old boy cried from the crib beside them. Kate sighed and rolled out of bed, picking up Spencer and pressing him against the right side of her chest. She rocked him and paced around the room, yawning in the process.

"Shhh Spencer," she soothed, kissing his tiny ear. "Shhhh."

And surely enough, thanks to the warm touch only a mother could give to her child; Spencer fell back into a peaceful slumber within five minutes. Kate sighed thankfully and climbed back into bed beside Will.

"You're much better at comforting him than I am," Will mumbled matter-of-factly. Kate closed her eyes and chuckled, still half-awake.

"You need practice," she replied. "You're getting him next time."

"Noooo," Will grumbled. But Kate was already fast asleep. Will sighed and pulled her into his chest, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

**About Five Minutes Later**

"Kate, get him," Will whined, cringing as his baby boy screeched. Kate shook her head.

"Nope. You get him. It's your turn."

Sighing, Will got out of bed, not without a frustrated huff. He picked Spencer up and cradled him in his arms.

"Please stop crying," he begged helplessly. "Please, Spence, for the love of all that is good and holy, stop crying!"

He didn't stop crying.

"Here, I'll make a deal with you," Will said. "If you stop crying, I'll give you all the formula you want tomorrow," He checked the clock: two am. "Actually, I'll give you all the formula you want _today_, since it's morning."

Kate chuckled and mustered the strength to get out of bed. She walked up behind Will and took Spencer from his arms, patting his back softly and holding him against her chest, just as she had done five minutes ago.

"Oh thank you," Will kissed Kate's cheek tiredly and started walking back to bed.

"Hey, not so fast daddy," Kate said, using her free hand to grab the sleeve of Will's shirt and tug him back towards them. "You're taking notes."

"Oh boy," Will ached to be back in his warm bed. "Okay, what am I supposed to do?"

"You hold him close to you, like I'm doing right now," Kate gestured to how she was holding Spencer. "And you pat his back lightly to see if he needs to burp. And you feel his diaper to see if it's full-"

"Blech," Will said, his face scrunching. "That's one thing I have yet to master, the infamous diaper change."

Giggling, Kate kissed Spencer's temple. "And if he doesn't need to burp or you don't need to change his diaper, just comfort him."

"Okay," Will held his arms out for his crying son. "Let me try."

Kate handed him Spencer and smiled as Will whispered words to his little son. There was something about Will holding Spencer that made Kate want to tear up with pride. He was an excellent father.

"Hey, he stopped crying!" Will announced incredulously, kissing Spencer's cheek as he drifted off into yet another sleep.

"You did it!" Kate exclaimed, watching as Will place Spencer back in his crib. He walked back over to her and tangled his hands in her hair as he kissed her.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered after the kiss. Will grinned.

"Really? Because I can barely get him to stop crying without you there helping me."

Kate shrugged, placing her hands on his chest. "You're an amazing father. The way you act around him, it's like you were made to be a dad."

Smiling, Will blushed. "Well, I could say the same about you. Over these past weeks, you've been such an amazing mother. You're a natural."

"Well thank you," Kate yawned. "Okay, time to get back to bed. Pippa is coming over tomorrow," She blinked and chuckled drowsily. "I mean today."

Will bit back a smile and climbed back into bed with his wife. Just as they were drifting back to sleep, Kate spoke.  
>"Oh, before Pippa comes over tomorrow, you should know that she and Drew broke up yesterday."<p>

Will's eyes widened. "What? Why? They were dating for over a year."

Kate shrugged. "I don't have all the details, Pippa was crying to me over the phone yesterday and said something about him cheating on her with another girl."

Will frowned. "Oh no. I'll have to have a little chat with Drew."

"Yeah," Kate yawned. "Okay, good night. I love you."

Will smiled and kissed Kate's forehead. "I love you too. Good night." 

* * *

><p><em>"What do you mean they broke up?" <em>Harry asked, his voice a shocked squeak.

"I don't know, Pippa is here right now telling Kate about what happened," Will smiled down at his son cradled in his arm.  
><em><br>"And you're not listening?" _Harry was almost desperate on the other line. Will chuckled.

"No, I'm too infatuated by my adorable son."  
><em><br>"Agh, Will! Okay, I'm coming over right now."  
><em>  
>"Wait, Harry," Will furrowed his brow. "What are you going to do?"<br>_  
>"Uh,"<em> Harry scratched his head. _"I don't know. I just need to talk to Pippa."  
><em>  
>Sighing, Will shook his head. "Whatever. I'll see you soon."<br>_  
>"Yup!"<br>_  
>Will hung up the phone and placed it on the glass table beside him. He took his son in both his hands and rolled onto his back, holding him above his face at arms distance.<p>

"Wheee!" He chuckled as he brought his son down and back up again like a rocket ship. Spencer had a large grin on his tiny face as Will played with him. Kate walked in the living room with Pippa and had to stop at the adorable image of Will and Spencer.

"Oh my gosh, look at them," Kate smiled lovingly at her little family. Will kept on playing with Spencer, oblivious to Kate and Pippa at the entrance of the room. "Let me get my camera, one second."

Pippa, despite her boyfriend issues, couldn't help but break out into a grin at Will and Spencer. Kate returned a moment later and snapped a picture of Will holding Spencer at arms distance away, high in the air, smiling adorably at him. Will turned his head at the flash and grinned at Kate and Pippa.

"Don't drop him," Kate said hesitantly, walking over to the couch and sitting beside her husband as he sat up. Pippa sat on the couch opposite of them and grinned at the perfect family in front of her.

"My goodness, that is a beautiful baby," she mused. "He has the prettiest blue eyes."

Will handed Spencer to Kate. "He got those suckers from me," he poked his chest proudly. "And when he grows older, his wicked sense of humor will be from me as well."

Kate rolled her eyes and laughed. "Okay."

"So Pippa, what happened-"

"Will? Kate?" Harry poked his head in the front door and walked in.

Kate looked at Will. "Harry's here?"

Will sighed. "Yeah."

Kate grinned. "Oh! Harry, we're in the living room!" She called. Pippa fiddled with her fingers as Harry walked into the room.

"Hey guys," he greeted, smiling at Pippa especially. "And there's the most awesome baby ever!" He extended his arms out to Kate so he could hold Spencer. Kate handed him over to her crazy brother in law and chuckled.

"Do you remember me, Spence?" Harry asked, holding him close to his chest in his arms. "We met the day you were born and twice after that as well. I'm your uncle Harry. I know, I'm much better looking than your father, I agree."

Will scoffed.

"I'm going to teach you how to be awesome, like me," Harry continued, smiling down at Spencer. Spencer's peaceful face suddenly scrunched and shifted to a devastated cry. "Uh-oh," Harry chuckled nervously and handed Spencer back to Kate. "I made him cry."

Kate smiled sympathetically at Harry. "It's okay," She stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm going to take him for a walk outside. Will, would you like to come with me?"

Will shot Harry a look that said something along the lines of _you owe me one_.

"Yeah, sure," He got up and placed his hand on Kate's back, leaving Harry and Pippa alone.

"They're great parents," Pippa said, staring at the floor. Harry nodded and clasped his hands.

"I know. That is one lucky kid."

The room went awkwardly silent. Pippa sighed a few moments later.

"So I suppose you heard about Drew and I…"

Harry nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I'm really sorry, Pippa," He snapped his fingers. "Do you know who the girl was?"

Pippa nodded. "Her name is Chelsy. She hit on him at a club and he didn't even think about me," Pippa scowled at the carpet beneath her. "I can't believe that he was even at a club without at least letting me know first!"

Harry shook his head. "He's a jerk," He looked at Pippa. "A stupid jerk, at that."

Pippa chuckled ruefully and shrugged. "I'm _so_done with guys for a while," She sighed. "After seeing Will, Kate, and Spencer, it makes me want to stop dating these jerk guys and to start searching for the one, you know?"

Harry nodded, biting back a smile. "The one. Yeah, I know."

Pippa smiled at Harry. "Have I ever thanked you for being such a great friend over this past year when I was with Drew?"

Harry shook his head, the smile he was biting back shining through. Pippa mirrored his smile.

"Well, I want to thank you right now. It must not have been easy to be my friend. I would hate me right now if I was you."

Harry's jaw dropped slightly as he shook his head. "Pippa, I could never hate you."

Pippa chewed her lip. "I could never hate you either."

Harry grinned, a feeling of confidence spurting through his veins. He didn't know what came over him when he did what he did in the next moment, but he was glad whatever was affecting him, did.

"Hey, I know this is a long shot since you just said that you were done with guys for a while, but, would you want to go get dinner some time?"

Pippa tilted her head and blushed at Harry's question. "You know what? Yes. I would."

Harry's already wide grin grew. "Well, great. He stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll call you later?"  
>Pippa beamed.<p>

"You'd better."

* * *

><p>"It's such beautiful day," Kate sighed, pushing Spencer in his stroller with Will beside her. They strolled through the trails behind their humble house. After baby Diana's death, they had decided to not move into Kensington Palace until they had another child. Now that Spencer had arrived, preparations were going to begin to move the young family into the grand palace.<p>

"It is indeed," Will breathed in the fresh air, smiling as the sun shined down on him, his wife, and his baby son. "Everything in our lives is absolutely perfect right now."

Kate broke out into a brilliant grin and looked at Will, their gaze locking. "It really is."

The couple found a large rock, and rolled Spencer over to it. They sat down on the rock and Kate cradled Spencer in her arms. Will wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulder and pulled the two most important people in his world close to him.

"Can you think back to a year ago, how different life was?" Kate asked, resting her head against Will's shoulder. Will rubbed her arm and nodded.

"Yeah. I went to Afghanistan last year."

Kate swallowed a strange lump in her throat. She always got choked up when she thought about Afghanistan. "Yeah."

"And you had your appedicts taken out," Will hummed, kissing the top of Kate's head. Kate nodded once more.

"Yup. That sucked."

"Oh and we got married," Will chuckled. "That seems like a lifetime ago."

Kate giggled as well. "I know."

"And Diana…"

Kate's lips curved downward. "Diana."

Will sighed and bit the inside of his lip. "I think about baby Diana all the time, just like I think about my mother all the time."

Kate's eyes filled up with tears, but they didn't spill over. "Me too. She was such a huge part of our lives. When you were gone, she got me through so many lonely nights."

Closing his eyes at the sudden breeze, Will rested his cheek on top of Kate's head.

"Spencer is truly a miracle."

Kate blinked her tears away and stared down at her sleeping son. "He really is."

Will broke out into a smile as he reopened his eyes. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"

Kate grinned. "Almost every day, yes."

Will shrugged. "Well, I'm going to tell you again. I thought I loved you before we had Spencer. I thought that the capacity of how much I loved you was at its limit," Will shook his head and chuckled at himself. "I thought it was impossible to love you more. But seeing you as a mother now," Will smiled warmly as Kate's eyes watered over. "I almost can't believe how much more I love you. You know, the way you are around him, how you're so loving and comforting and basically the perfect mother. It feels as if my heart has grown because of this miracle baby," He caressed her face as a single tear streaked down it. "I love you, Catherine Elizabeth Cambridge," he smiled at her last name. "Never forget it."

Kate's smile of happiness had never been truer until that moment. She leaned her face forward and caught Will's lips in a kiss, a kiss that spoke volumes of her feelings for him.

"Would it be suffice to say a simple 'I love you' back?" She chuckled, another tear streaming down her cheek. Will grinned and wiped it away, nodding.

"Yes. Because no matter how hard I think about it, I will never fully fathom how you could love me," He shrugged.  
>"So when you tell me you do," Will closed his eyes and shook his head. "I feel like the luckiest man on the planet. Correction, I <em>am<em>the luckiest man on the planet. I have the most beautiful wife in the universe-"

Kate chuckled.

"-and the most amazing, beautiful, healthy baby boy," Will continued. "I literally could not ask for anything more."  
>Kate nodded. "Me neither."<p>

The couple's eyes locked in a loving gaze. Neither of them budged for only God knows how long. As they sat staring into each other's eyes, Will and Kate knew they could have stayed like that forever. It was only until Spencer began to stir in Kate's arms that they needed to get up.

"Continue our walk, shall we?" Will asked, standing up and offering Kate his hand to help her off the rock. She smiled as she secured Spencer back into his stroller. Will wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the overjoyed, _blessed_couple continued their walk, not just in the trail behind their humble home, but down the path to the rest of their lives together.

**The end.**

**Suuuuuper cheesy last scene, I know, I know. But what can I say, I like cheese.**  
><strong>Thanks for reading :)<strong>


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